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Spokane Valley, WA Holiday Decorations: Lawn Ornament Rules (2026)

Few Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified August 2026

Key Facts

Governing section
SVMC § 22.60.050(G)
Effect
Holiday decorations exempt from lighting chapter
Other exemptions listed
Navigation, emergency, WSDOT, signs, monuments, pools
Separate lawn-ornament rule
None in the SVMC
Date limit on displays
None set by code
Adopted
Ord. 07-015 (2007); exceptions added Ord. 13-012 (2013)

Summary

Spokane Valley's outdoor lighting code exempts holiday decorations outright. SVMC § 22.60.050(G) lists holiday decorations among seven uses excused from the shielding standard in § 22.60.030 and the laser/strobe/searchlight ban in § 22.60.040, so seasonal light displays don't need a shielding plan or a temporary lighting permit.

A. Navigation and airport lighting required for the safe operation of boats and airplanes. B. Emergency lighting required by police, fire, and rescue authorities. C. Lighting for state and federal highways authorized by the Washington State Department of Transportation. D. Internal lighting of permitted signs. E. Outdoor lighting for public monuments. F. In-pool lighting for private swimming pools. G. Holiday decorations.

View official code

Full Breakdown

60's general shielding and prohibited-light rules: navigation and airport lighting, emergency lighting for police, fire and rescue, state and federal highway lighting authorized by WSDOT, internal sign lighting, public monument lighting, in-pool lighting for private swimming pools, and, in subsection (G), holiday decorations. 040 ban on high-intensity light sources that otherwise forces other flashing or beam-type fixtures to get a temporary event permit. The exceptions list was added by Ord. 13-012 § 5 in 2013 to the chapter first adopted by Ord. 07-015 § 4 in 2007.

The exemption is narrow in one respect: it lives inside the outdoor lighting chapter, so it only reaches the shielding and prohibited-light rules. 050(G) exemption is the only rule on the books that touches yard holiday displays.

Violations & Fines

Because holiday decorations are exempted outright, the City has no citation pathway specific to them. A display that strays outside the exemption, for example a beam or laser effect not tied to holiday decor, falls back under the ordinary shielding standard of § 22.60.030 or the prohibited-light list in § 22.60.040, and repeated neighbor complaints are handled as a nuisance code violation under Chapter 17.100 SVMC, with civil penalties starting at $500 under SVMC § 17.100.250.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are holiday lights exempt from Spokane Valley's outdoor lighting rules?
Yes. SVMC § 22.60.050(G) lists holiday decorations among the exceptions to Chapter 22.60, so a seasonal light display doesn't need to meet the shielding standard in § 22.60.030 or avoid the prohibited fixtures listed in § 22.60.040.
Does Spokane Valley regulate unlit lawn ornaments or yard statues?
Not specifically. The only code language on point, § 22.60.050(G), addresses lighting, not physical decorations, and the Spokane Valley Municipal Code does not contain a separate ordinance limiting non-lighted lawn ornaments, inflatables or holiday statuary.
Is there a deadline for taking down holiday lights in Spokane Valley?
No. Section 22.60.050(G) exempts holiday decorations from the lighting chapter without attaching any date restriction, so the code itself does not require displays to come down by a certain time of year.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Spokane Valley

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All Spokane Valley rules

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