Santa Ana does not have a specific ordinance regulating residential holiday light displays. Display dates, brightness, and decorative content are not regulated by the City. General provisions apply: the Noise Control ordinance (SAMC Chapter 18, Article VI) limits amplified sound, and lighting that creates a glare nuisance to neighboring properties may be addressed under SAMC Chapter 8 property maintenance and general nuisance law.
Santa Ana has no municipal code section setting calendar dates for when holiday lights must be removed, no maximum lumen output, and no required shutoff time. Property owners may install seasonal lighting year-round. Three indirect constraints apply: (1) Amplified music synchronized to a light display must comply with SAMC Chapter 18, Article VI noise limits β 55 dBA at residential property lines from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and 50 dBA from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.; (2) Outdoor lighting that creates direct glare into a neighboring window or onto a public street may be addressed under SAMC Chapter 41 (Zoning) lighting standards, which generally require full-cutoff fixtures for new commercial installations but exempt residential holiday displays; (3) Lights strung across the public right-of-way or on utility poles without authorization violate SAMC Chapter 36 (Streets and Sidewalks). HOA-governed neighborhoods may impose stricter dates and standards through CC&Rs, which are enforceable independent of the City. Large public-attracting displays (such as the Floral Park holiday tour neighborhood) operate by tradition without city regulation.
No specific holiday-decoration fines exist. Noise violations are cited under SAMC Section 1-8 with escalating fines starting at $100. Glare nuisances may be addressed through Code Enforcement under SAMC Chapter 8 nuisance provisions if a complaint is filed and substantiated.
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