Lower Merion, PA Holiday Decorations: Lawn Ornament Rules (2026)

Article IX of the Zoning Code, the township's sign standards, lists eleven categories of signs that are exempt from the sign permit requirement in § 155-9.5, Permit exempt signs. The list includes official traffic signs, governmental and public service signs, on-premises no-trespassing signs, temporary signs, memorial signs, address or nameplate signs, permanent architectural features, flags, and noncommercial art and murals; item (7) on that list is seasonal and holiday decorations. Because holiday decorations fall on this exempt list, a resident does not need a sign permit to put up a lit reindeer, an inflatable snowman, or a seasonal banner, and such displays are not counted toward the property's total permitted sign area or number under § 155-9.5.A.

The exemption is not unconditional, though: § 155-9.5.A requires every exempt sign to still comply with the general regulations of Article IX, including the location rule in § 155-9.3.D that bars any sign, including a decoration, from projecting into the public right-of-way, obscuring a street sign or signal, or occupying a vehicular sight triangle as determined by the Township's Traffic Safety Department. A decoration cannot be closer than one foot to a building's vertical edge or roofline, must maintain nine feet of clearance over pedestrian walkways, and cannot be affixed to or obstruct a governmental sign.