Eugene, OR Holiday Decorations: Lawn Ornament Rules (2026)

Most of Eugene's outdoor lighting rules, including the lighting permit requirement, the cutoff-fixture and shielding standard, and the lumens caps by lighting zone, come from EC 9.6725. But EC 9.6725(5) carves out a list of exemptions, and holiday lighting is one of them: subsection (5)(e) exempts 'holiday lights and decorations in place during the period between November 15 and January 15' from the lighting standards altogether. That means a homeowner or business doesn't need a lighting permit, and doesn't have to meet the cutoff-fixture, shielding or lumens limits that would otherwise apply, to put up string lights, inflatable displays or other lit decorations for the season.

The exemption isn't unconditional. The same subsection immediately qualifies it: holiday lights are only exempt 'except such lights shall not cause excessive glare that creates a public safety hazard.' A display aimed to flash into oncoming traffic, or bright enough to blind drivers at an intersection, falls outside the exemption even during the November 15 to January 15 window and can still be treated as a lighting standards violation. Outside that roughly two-month window, any lights or decorations left up longer lose the exemption and have to comply with the full outdoor lighting standards, including the permit and shielding rules in EC 9.6725(3) and (6), just like any other fixture.