Richmond, VA Holiday Decorations: Lawn Ornament Rules (2026)

The City of Richmond 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 under the Reed v. Town of Gilbert content-neutrality framework and are governed by Richmond sign provisions only for size — not content; signs in residential zones are generally permitted up to specified square footage. Richmond's general property maintenance and nuisance provisions can address damaged or deteriorated ornaments only when they have become a blight condition. Old and Historic Districts (Church Hill, Jackson Ward, Monument Avenue, Shockoe Slip, Shockoe Bottom, Manchester, parts of the Fan and West End) are governed by the Commission of Architectural Review. Temporary seasonal ornaments are typically exempt; permanent visible installations (statuary, masonry fountains, large-scale permanent decorative features) may require a Certificate of Appropriateness. Monument Avenue's special context — the post-2020 removal of Confederate monuments — has heightened sensitivity around public-facing statuary; CAR review of new monumental private installations on Monument Avenue is particularly scrutinized. HOA and condo associations retain authority under Va. Code §55.1-1800 (Property Owners' Association Act) and §55.1-1900 (Condominium Act) to regulate exterior decorations through their declarations. The federal Freedom to Display the American Flag Act of 2005 and Va. Code §55.1-1822 prevent HOAs from banning reasonable U.S. flag displays; Va. Code §55.1-1822.1 also protects display of the POW/MIA flag, Virginia state flag, and military service flags.