Shoreline, WA Holiday Decorations: Lawn Ornament Rules (2026)

SMC § 20.50.115 sets Shoreline's general outdoor lighting standard, requiring fixtures to be non-glare and shielded so the light source is not directly visible from neighboring properties or the public right-of-way. Subsection B lists three categories of prohibited lighting citywide: outdoor floodlighting projected above the horizontal plane, search lights, laser source lights or similarly high-intensity lights, and any flashing, blinking, rotating, or strobe fixture on a building exterior or visible through a window from beyond the lot line. The section then lists six express exemptions from those prohibitions, and the fourth is 'Holiday and event lighting (except for outdoor searchlights and strobes).' That means a homeowner stringing string lights, spotlights on a display, or seasonal yard lighting is not subject to the floodlight or flashing-light bans that would otherwise apply to permanent fixtures, as long as the display does not use an outdoor searchlight or a strobe effect, which remain banned even during a holiday.

The other listed exemptions cover emergency-response lighting, pool lighting under Article 680 of the National Electrical Code, sign lighting regulated separately under the sign subchapter, sports and field lighting, and lighting triggered by a security alarm. Because this standard sits in Title 20.50, the citywide general development code, it applies to residential yards across Shoreline's zones, not only within shoreline jurisdiction. The section does not set a seasonal date range, a wattage cap, or a permit requirement for holiday displays, so the exemption functions as a by-right allowance rather than a licensed activity, with the searchlight and strobe carve-out standing as the only textual limit on an otherwise unregulated seasonal display.