Harris County, TX Holiday Decorations: Lawn Ornament Rules (2026)

Subchapter 41F's Prohibited Signs section bars a broad category of moving and inflatable advertising visible from a Harris County toll road: strings, pennants, flags, twirlers, propellers, flares, balloons, noise-creating wind devices, inflatable displays, and similar carnival-character devices, whether the movement comes from natural wind or a mechanical device. The rule then lists narrow exceptions rather than an outright ban on everything in the category. Holiday decorations in season are allowed, but they have to come down within 20 calendar days of the holiday they mark.

National, state, and local government flags can fly from freestanding or wall-mounted flagpoles without the 20-day limit, and corporate or institutional flags are allowed too, capped at one per frontage road and two per premises. A new business gets a separate allowance for streamers, pennants, and grand-opening displays, but only for up to 60 consecutive calendar days. Purely non-commercial or non-profit displays are allowed if they meet building, fire, and safety codes and skip any flashing, blinking, or mechanically moving parts. None of these exceptions require the County Engineer's advance sign permit, but a display that overstays its window, such as holiday decorations left up past the 20-day limit, converts back into a prohibited inflatable or carnival-character display subject to Sec 5's ban and Sec 8's removal procedure.