Sedona, AZ Holiday Decorations: Lawn Ornament Rules (2026)

Sedona's Land Development Code treats holiday lighting and yard decorations as an exempt category of sign, listed in SLDC Article 6, Exempt Signs, alongside historic plaques, address numbers and directional signs. Two provisions govern most residential holiday displays. 8(K), Outline Lighting, lets homeowners and businesses put up outline lighting and decorative strings of lights without a sign permit, but only for a fixed season: from Thanksgiving through the following January 15. Once that date passes, residential properties must switch the lights off, and commercial properties must go further, turning the lighting off and physically removing it from buildings and structures.

The section also carries a nuisance clause: any outline lighting has to be installed so it does not create a public nuisance or hazard, giving the City a hook to act on displays that spill glare onto neighboring lots or block sightlines. 8(N), Seasonal Decorations, covers non-lighting yard displays: inflatable figures, wreaths, lawn ornaments and similar items tied to a national, local or religious celebration are exempt from permitting as long as they are temporary and noncommercial, are kept in an attractive condition, and do not constitute a fire hazard.

There is no year-round exemption for permanent yard ornaments outside a holiday context; those fall back to the general sign and accessory-structure rules elsewhere in the Code. 7.