Ridgewood, NJ Holiday Decorations: Lawn Ornament Rules (2026)

Chapter 174, Holiday Displays, adopted September 17, 2014 by Ordinance No. 3432, governs nonsecular, unattended, privately funded displays placed on Village property, limited to a specific spot at Memorial Park at Van Neste Square near its northwest corner. Section 174-1 caps a display at 12 feet in height, width, and depth, restricts the season to November 22 through January 8, and requires the electrical demand stay at or under 110 volts, 20 amps, a limit added by a 2015 amendment (Ordinance No. 3502). Applications must reach the Village Clerk's office between October 1 and October 31 each year, with all permitting, electrical, and structural inspection fees paid before a permit issues; a display that fails its post-erection inspection must be dismantled or fixed within 48 hours of notice.

Section 174-1 also requires the applicant to sign a hold-harmless and indemnification agreement and carry $1,000,000 per-occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate liability coverage naming the Village as an additional insured. Section 174-2 spells out what the application itself must contain: a description of the display's nature, dimensions, and materials, the proposed erection and removal dates, any planned ceremony with expected attendance, and a named responsible party for Village communications. Where two compliant applications for the same year identify the same nonsecular belief, only one display is approved, with preference to Village residents and to whichever application was submitted first.