Bowling Green, KY Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)

The Warren County / Bowling Green Joint Zoning Ordinance (Article 4) regulates 'signs' bearing commercial or noncommercial messages but does not classify holiday lights, wreaths, garlands, inflatables, or seasonal decorations as regulated signs when they convey only a generic holiday or seasonal message and do not advertise a business. The City of Bowling Green has no ordinance setting a date by which residential holiday decorations must come down — unlike many homeowners associations, which may impose their own seasonal display rules. Practical limits derive from other code provisions: (1) decorations may not be placed in the public right-of-way or sidewalk; under City Code 21-1.02, every property owner or occupant must keep the sidewalk and right-of-way adjacent to the building or lot open and free from obstructions, with any temporary obstruction (such as a hanging cord, banner, or display element) removed within 24 hours; (2) inflatables, motors, or audio that constitutes a nuisance can be cited under City Code Chapter 27 (Property Code) provisions covering 'certain conditions declared a nuisance' (City Code 27-5.05) and general nuisance enforcement under the Code Enforcement and Nuisance Board (City Code 2-21); (3) lights aimed so as to create driver glare or to shine directly into a neighbor's bedroom may be treated as a nuisance under the same provisions; and (4) decorations must not block sight triangles at corner lots under the Joint Zoning Ordinance. HOAs in Bowling Green may impose additional display windows and aesthetic limits. Fines for general code violations run up to $100 per offense, with each day a violation continues treated as a separate offense.