Hialeah, FL Holiday Decorations: Lawn Ornament Rules (2026)

The Hialeah Code of Ordinances does not contain a specific provision regulating residential lawn ornaments. Homeowners may display flamingos, statues, religious figures, gnomes, holiday figures, and similar items on private property without permit or notification. General property-maintenance provisions in the Hialeah Code can be invoked if ornaments are broken, hazardous, or contribute to blight. Right-of-way and sight-distance rules in the Hialeah zoning code prohibit placing ornaments in the public swale or sidewalk and require corner-lot displays to stay clear of the sight-distance triangle. Religious lawn ornaments — including Virgin Mary statues, nativity scenes, menorahs — receive heightened protection under Florida's Religious Freedom Restoration Act (FL §761.05) and the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA, 42 U.S.C. §2000cc), which restrict government burdens on religious exercise. The U.S. Supreme Court's First Amendment jurisprudence further protects private religious expression. Condo and HOA documents under FL §718.113 and §720.304 commonly impose aesthetic restrictions on lawn ornaments, but those restrictions cannot, under §720.304, prohibit certain protected displays (e.g., religious symbols affixed to door frames per recent state law amendments). Hurricane preparedness applies: heavy or unsecured ornaments should be brought indoors during a declared storm.