Waco, TX Holiday Decorations: Lawn Ornament Rules (2026)

Waco does not have a city ordinance restricting residential lawn ornaments, statuary, religious displays, or other yard decorations on private property. Items may remain year-round. Decorations cannot block sidewalks or encroach into the public right-of-way under the Waco Code's Streets and Sidewalks provisions and cannot obstruct corner sight triangles under Waco Code Chapter 28 (Zoning). Waco's property maintenance code — actively enforced as part of the city's ongoing anti-blight and urban revitalization strategy — may be cited if decorations become so dilapidated, broken, or numerous as to create a blighted or junk-like condition. Texas Property Code § 202.018 protects religious displays on or near entry doors from HOA bans (limited to displays under 25 square inches combined area on the entry door itself); broader yard displays are subject to HOA covenant authority under Texas Property Code Chapter 202. Texas Property Code § 202.011 specifically requires HOA aesthetic restrictions to be reasonable and uniformly applied. Political signs on residential property receive First Amendment protections and Texas Election Code § 259.002 limits on HOA restriction during the campaign period (90 days before through 10 days after an election). Properties in HOAs in newer Hewitt-adjacent, Woodway-adjacent, and Lake Waco-area subdivisions face covenant design controls. Established neighborhoods near Baylor, in central Waco, and in the Castle Heights historic district largely operate without HOA aesthetic restrictions.