Murfreesboro, TN Holiday Decorations: Lawn Ornament Rules (2026)

Murfreesboro does not regulate residential lawn ornaments — gnomes, statues, flamingos, religious figures, garden art, flagpoles, or seasonal decorations — through municipal code. There is no permit requirement, height limit, or number cap on ornamental items on private residential property. Items must not encroach into the public right-of-way under Murfreesboro City Code Chapter 23 (Streets and Sidewalks) and must not obstruct visibility at corner lots under the Zoning Ordinance sight-triangle rules in Appendix A. Temporary yard signs (political, real estate, garage sale, event) do not require permits but are limited under Murfreesboro Zoning Ordinance § 25.2 to three signs or fewer per property at any one time, with size limits, and may not be placed in the city right-of-way. Signs found in the right-of-way are confiscated by the Sign Administrator and held up to 30 days. The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Reed v. Town of Gilbert (2015) limits content-based regulation of temporary residential signs and Murfreesboro's ordinance has been updated to comply. Flagpoles displaying the U.S. flag are protected by the Freedom to Display the American Flag Act of 2005, 4 U.S.C. § 5. Tennessee Code Annotated does not have a statute analogous to Texas Property Code § 202.018 protecting religious displays from HOA enforcement, so HOA design controls in The Reserve at Stones River, Blackman, Westlawn, Salem, and Indian Hills can govern lawn ornament aesthetics, size, and placement, enforced civilly through Chancery Court.