Arvada, CO Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)
Key Facts
- Sign permit
- None for holiday decorations under Section 6-1-2-3.B.5
- Qualifying test
- Clearly incidental, customary, and commonly associated with a holiday
- Flashing or animated light
- Allowed on temporary holiday displays under Section 6-1-3-1.C.1
- Other rules
- Rest of Article 6-1 and building and electrical codes still apply
- Public right-of-way
- No signs in or over it, with narrow exceptions
- Exterior lighting article
- Seasonal holiday lighting exempt under Section 4-8-2-1.B.3
- Damaged temporary signs
- Removed within 24 hours under Section 6-1-7-1.A.4
Summary
Arvada exempts holiday decorations from the sign permit requirement. Under Section 6-1-2-3.B.5 of the Land Development Code, decorations and signs that are clearly incidental, customary, and commonly associated with a holiday go up with no sign permit. Section 6-1-3-1.C.1 also carves temporary holiday displays out of the ban on animated or flashing sign elements, as long as they comply with Article 6-1.
Exceptions by Sign Type. The following signs may be displayed without a sign permit, but are not exempt from other applicable provisions of this Article. ... Temporary Seasonal Decorations. Decorations and signs that are clearly incidental, customary, and commonly associated with a holiday. ... Generally. The prohibitions in this Section apply to temporary and permanent signs in all areas of the City. ... Prohibited Design Elements. The following elements shall not be incorporated as an element of any sign or sign structure, whether temporary or permanent: ... Animated or moving parts, including any moving, swinging, rotating, or spinning parts or flashing, blinking, scintillating, fluctuating, or otherwise animated light, except electronic message centers, standard flags, feather flags, banners, temporary holiday displays, and clocks that are in compliance with this Article.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: City Council Policy Manual: Supplement 1 | Code of Ordinances: Supplement 67).
Full Breakdown
Arvada handles holiday displays in two places in Article 6-1 of the Land Development Code. Section 6-1-2-3 lists the signs that go up without a sign permit, and item B.5, Temporary Seasonal Decorations, covers decorations and signs that are clearly incidental, customary, and commonly associated with a holiday. All three descriptors work together. The code prints no list of qualifying holidays, no date window and no size cap in that item, which sets it apart from item B.6, where small temporary signs are tied expressly to the permit-exempt standards of Division 6-1-6.
The permit exception removes only the sign permit. The introduction to Section 6-1-2-3.B states that these signs are not exempt from other applicable provisions of the Article, and Section 6-1-1-4.A adds that permit exceptions do not excuse a display from other applicable codes or permit requirements, including the adopted building and electrical codes.
The second provision is Section 6-1-3-1.C.1, which bans moving parts and flashing, blinking, scintillating or fluctuating light on any sign. It lists exceptions, and temporary holiday displays are one of them, along with electronic message centers, standard flags, feather flags, banners and clocks, each only when in compliance with the Article. Section 6-1-3-1.A applies these prohibitions to temporary and permanent signs in all areas of the City, so this exception is the reason a blinking light display is not a violation.
Everything else in Section 6-1-3-1 still binds a holiday sign. Under Subsection D, no sign can obstruct a door, egress window, fire escape, operable window, fire hydrant, meter or required sight distance triangle. Under Subsection E, no sign can be fastened to a tree, shrub or utility cabinet. Under Subsection F.1, no sign can sit in or over a public right-of-way, which the code says can include sidewalks, parkways, trails, bike lanes, medians and center islands. Subsection C.6 bars unshielded bare light bulbs larger than C9 format or brighter than 50 lumens per bulb on a sign, with neon tubing excluded from that definition.
Separately, Article 4-8 on exterior lighting lists seasonal holiday lighting among the items exempted from its requirements in Section 4-8-2-1.B.3.
Violations & Fines
Neither Section 6-1-2-3 nor Section 6-1-3-1 prints a fine amount. The consequence is loss of the exception. A display that is not clearly incidental, customary, and commonly associated with a holiday is an ordinary sign that needs a permit from the City before it is displayed under Section 6-1-2-1.B. A holiday sign that blocks a door, sits in the public right-of-way, or is fastened to a tree remains non-compliant with Section 6-1-3-1 regardless of the permit exception.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need an Arvada sign permit for holiday decorations?
Can holiday lights flash or blink in Arvada?
Can I put a holiday sign on a street median, sidewalk or utility pole?
When do holiday decorations have to come down in Arvada?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Arvada
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Holiday Displays in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Jefferson County handle holiday displays.