Lincoln, NE Holiday Decorations: Lawn Ornament Rules (2026)

The City of Lincoln does not regulate the number, size, or style of decorative lawn ornaments, statuary, fountains, or religious yard displays at single-family or duplex properties through municipal ordinance. Political signs are protected as First Amendment speech and are governed by Lincoln sign provisions only for size — not content; signs in residential zones are generally permitted up to specified square footage under Title 27 sign regulations. Lincoln's general property maintenance and nuisance provisions in Title 21 (Property Maintenance Code) and Title 8 (Health and Sanitation) can address damaged or deteriorated ornaments only when they have become a blight condition. There are no historic preservation overlay restrictions in Lincoln that broadly apply to lawn ornaments at residential properties, though designated historic districts (such as Haymarket and Mount Emerald) may have limited exterior restrictions through their preservation guidelines. HOA and condo associations retain authority under Nebraska's Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act (Neb. Rev. Stat. §76-825 et seq.) to regulate exterior decorations through their declarations. Nebraska has no statutory cap on HOA fines. The federal Freedom to Display the American Flag Act of 2005 and Nebraska's general flag provisions prevent HOAs from banning reasonable U.S. flag displays — but state law does not protect lawn ornaments or other displays at the same level.