Denton, TX Holiday Decorations: Lawn Ornament Rules (2026)

Denton does not have a city ordinance restricting residential lawn ornaments, statuary, religious displays, or other yard decorations on private property. Items may remain year-round. Decorations cannot block sidewalks or encroach into the public right-of-way and cannot obstruct corner sight triangles under the Denton Development Code Subchapter 7. Property maintenance code Denton City Code Chapter 17 (Property Maintenance) may be cited if decorations become so dilapidated, broken, or numerous as to create a blighted or junk-like condition. Texas Property Code § 202.018 protects religious displays on or near entry doors from HOA bans (limited to displays under 25 square inches combined area on the entry door itself); broader yard displays are subject to HOA covenant authority under Texas Property Code Chapter 202 and the reasonableness standard of § 202.011. Political signs on residential property receive First Amendment protections and Texas Election Code § 259.002 limits HOA restriction during the campaign period (90 days before through 10 days after an election). Properties in HOAs throughout Robson Ranch (south Denton's 55+ master-planned community), Vintage, Wind River, Pecan Creek, and downtown condos face covenant design controls. Established neighborhoods around the University of North Texas, the Denton Square historic district, and east of I-35 often have fewer HOAs and operate largely without aesthetic restrictions, subject only to the general property-maintenance code.