Rochester Hills, MI Holiday Decorations: Lawn Ornament Rules (2026)

Article 10, Chapter 2 of the Rochester Hills Zoning Ordinance sets citywide shielding, glare, footcandle and hours-of-operation standards for every outdoor light source visible from a right-of-way or an adjacent parcel (Sections 138-10.200 through 138-10.207). Section 138-10.204 carves out a short list of lighting types that do not have to meet those standards, and holiday decorations are the first item, grouped with pedestrian walkway lighting, residential lighting, temporary emergency lighting and lighting otherwise controlled by federal or state law. The exemption is not unconditional: the opening sentence of Section 138-10.204 reserves authority for the Building Director to take steps to minimize glare, light trespass or light pollution impacts from an exempt fixture, including a holiday display, where determined necessary to protect public health, safety and welfare.

In practice, a seasonal display of string lights, inflatables or projected light on a house or yard does not need a shielding plan, a photometric submission or a cutoff fixture the way a permanent commercial installation would, but a resident whose display produces enough glare or spillover to draw a documented complaint can still be directed to adjust it. The ordinance sets no seasonal calendar window, wattage cap or setback specific to holiday lighting or lawn displays, and no other chapter of the Rochester Hills Code creates a separate land-use category for temporary yard ornaments.