San Antonio, TX Holiday Decorations: Holiday Light Rules (2026)

San Antonio does not regulate residential holiday light installation, removal dates, or brightness through city code. Decorative lighting is permitted year-round on private property. The general nuisance and noise provisions of City Code Chapter 21 apply: amplified outdoor speakers playing music with a holiday display must comply with the city noise ordinance (no plainly audible noise from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. residential, lower thresholds in some districts). Light directed at neighbors' windows in a manner that materially interferes with use of their property could be reviewed as a nuisance, but San Antonio does not have a dedicated light-trespass ordinance like dark-sky cities. Properties in historic districts (King William, Dignowity Hill, Monte Vista) may have Office of Historic Preservation guidelines on permanent fixtures but generally do not regulate seasonal displays. Commercial holiday displays may require sign permits if they include advertising. HOAs frequently impose dates (no lights before Thanksgiving, removal by mid-January), wattage caps, and audio prohibitions. Texas property code does not specifically protect holiday displays from HOA regulation.