Rochester, NY Holiday Decorations: Lawn Ornament Rules (2026)

Chapter 120, Zoning, addresses holiday lawn and yard displays through its sign regulations rather than a standalone ordinance. Section 120-177B lists "allowed signs" that any property may display in any zoning district without a certificate of zoning compliance, and subsection (1) names "Customary holiday decorations" first on that list, ahead of address signs and family name signs. The chapter's definitions section, § 120-208, spells out just how far that exemption reaches: "HOLIDAY DECORATIONS: Signs in the nature of decorations, clearly incidental to and customarily and commonly associated with any national, local or religious holiday.

" That "notwithstanding" clause overrides the size, height, lighting and quantity limits that apply to every other sign category in § 120-177, including the permanent and temporary sign standards for nonresidential uses. In practice, an inflatable lawn Santa, a lit reindeer display, a menorah, or a yard full of jack-o'-lanterns and string lights falls outside the Zoning Code's reach entirely as long as it is tied to a recognized holiday and does not become a year-round fixture, at which point it would lose the "customary" and "incidental" character the definition requires and could instead be reviewed as a permanent sign or accessory structure under the standard rules.