Aurora, CO Holiday Decorations: Lawn Ornament Rules (2026)

Lawn ornaments - statuary, religious displays, garden art, seasonal figures - are not regulated by Aurora's municipal code on private residential property. The Sign Code in UDO 146-4.8 defines a sign by its communicative function and exempts non-commercial residential displays from permit and size requirements. Religious displays additionally receive First Amendment and Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) protection. Political signs on residential property are addressed in UDO 146-4.8 with size caps for residential zones and require no permit, with no time-period restriction following the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Reed v. Town of Gilbert (2015) which Aurora's code accommodates. Items placed in the public planter strip or sidewalk require an encroachment permit under Aurora City Code Chapter 138 (Streets and Sidewalks). The sight-distance rules in UDO 146-4.4 cap items in the visibility triangle at corner lots at approximately 30 inches in height. HOA communities frequently require architectural review for permanent statuary and may impose material or quantity limits, particularly in master-planned developments like Murphy Creek, Saddle Rock, and Tallyn's Reach. Code Enforcement's published priorities focus on weeds, junk vehicles, and obvious blight rather than ornamental displays.