Vacaville, CA Holiday Decorations: Holiday Light Rules (2026)

Vacaville Municipal Code does not regulate the timing, intensity, or duration of holiday lights on private homes. VMC 14.09.260 (Signs, last amended July 23, 2024) exempts temporary holiday and seasonal displays from sign-code permitting and registration. Vacaville does not have a comprehensive residential outdoor lighting ordinance for non-commercial use. For Vacaville's many planned communities and condominium HOAs (Browns Valley, Foxboro, Northpointe, Bel Air, Lagoon Valley, Cheyenne Lakes, and similar master plans) the California Davis-Stirling Act (Cal. Civ. Code 4000-6150) applies and the HOA's CC&Rs typically regulate holiday displays. Typical Vacaville HOA rules allow holiday lights from the Friday before Thanksgiving through January 15, prohibit lights left up year-round, limit roof-mounted spotlights and laser projectors, and may restrict synchronized music or animated displays. California Civil Code 4710 protects 'noncommercial signs, posters, flags, or banners' but does not extend to electric holiday lights. Civil Code 4715 protects religious items displayed on entry doors and door frames. Lights that shine continuously into a neighbor's bedroom window can be cited under VMC Chapter 8.04 (Property Maintenance / Nuisance) or pursued as a private nuisance under California Civil Code 3479. Lights or wiring that don't meet the California Electrical Code adopted under VMC Title 15 can be cited as a fire hazard.