Arvada, CO Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)
Key Facts
- Animation ban exemption
- Temporary holiday displays exempted, LDC 6-1-3-1.C.1
- Permit exemption
- Seasonal decorations displayed without a sign permit
- Duration table
- Seasonal decorations not tied to Section 6-1-6-3 limits
- Still applies
- General prohibitions on obstructions and unsafe mounts
Summary
Arvada exempts holiday decorations from two of its toughest sign rules: the citywide ban on animated lighting and the sign permit requirement. Section 6-1-3-1.C.1 carves "temporary holiday displays" out of the animation ban, and Section 6-1-2-3.B.5 lets decorations "clearly incidental, customary, and commonly associated with a holiday" go up without a permit.
6-1-2-3.B.5: "Temporary Seasonal Decorations. Decorations and signs that are clearly incidental, customary, and commonly associated with a holiday." ... 6-1-3-1.C.1: "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
" That exemption is what lets Arvada homes and businesses run blinking string lights and animated inflatables that would otherwise violate the citywide animation prohibition. " That exemption sits in its own numbered item, distinct from item 6, "Small Temporary Signs," which the Code explicitly ties to "the applicable requirements for permit-exempt temporary signs, set out in Division 6-1-6, Temporary Signs" - the division that otherwise caps how many days a temporary sign can stay up under Section 6-1-6-3's material-classification duration table. Because the seasonal-decorations exemption is not cross-referenced to that duration table, Arvada's code does not tie holiday lighting and decorations to the same day-count limit it imposes on other temporary signs; holiday displays remain subject to the Article's general prohibitions, such as the ban on obstructing sight triangles or building entrances.
Violations & Fines
A holiday display is only protected from enforcement while it is a genuine "incidental, customary" seasonal decoration under Section 6-1-2-3.B.5; if it functions as ordinary advertising or blocks required sight triangles, entrances, or fire equipment, it falls under the general prohibitions of Section 6-1-3-1 and is enforceable under Section 10-1-2-2 as a misdemeanor, with fines up to $2,650 or up to 180 days in jail under Section 1-5.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I run blinking Christmas lights in Arvada without breaking the sign code?
Do I need a permit to put up a holiday display?
Is there a deadline to take down holiday lights 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.