Sioux Falls, SD Holiday Decorations: Holiday Light Rules (2026)

Sioux Falls Code does not specify dates by which holiday lights must be installed or removed — homeowners may display lights year-round if they choose, though most residents follow the Thanksgiving-to-mid-January convention. Enforcement relies on three frameworks: (1) Nuisance — under Code Chapter 93, light displays that produce direct glare onto neighboring residences, attract crowds creating traffic hazards, or include amplified music violating noise rules may be cited; (2) Property maintenance — Code Chapter 151 (Property Maintenance) prohibits accumulations and dilapidated conditions, which could capture indefinitely-stored deflated/broken decorations that become an eyesore or harborage; (3) HOA covenants under SDCL Title 43 — many Sioux Falls subdivisions (Prairie Hills, Tuscany, The Bluffs, Westridge) limit installation/removal windows (commonly November 1 to January 15 or similar), brightness, and architectural review. Amplified music tied to holiday displays — such as synchronized music-and-light shows — is subject to Sioux Falls' general noise rules under Code Chapter 93; the entertainment-district 70 dBA L90 standard applies in the Main Street Business Improvement District, while residential areas use a reasonableness standard. Electrical safety: permanent under-eave or roof-mounted lighting circuits must be installed by a South Dakota Electrical Commission-licensed contractor under SDCL Chapter 36-16B; temporary seasonal extension-cord installations using UL-listed outdoor cords are not subject to permit but must comply with the 2017/2020 NEC limit of 16 amps continuous load on a 20-amp branch circuit. GFCI protection is required on all outdoor receptacles. Drone- or laser-projection displays must comply with FAA Part 107 and avoid projecting laser light into navigable airspace under 14 CFR §11.245. South Dakota's freeze-thaw cycle (-20F winter lows possible) requires UL-listed cold-weather-rated outdoor lighting.