Brookhaven, NY Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)
Key Facts
- Exempt window
- October 15 to January 15
- Governing section
- Code § 85-864C(3)
- Definition
- HOLIDAY LIGHTING, § 85-863C
- Outside window
- treated as ordinary exterior lighting
- Residential 1st-offense fine outside window
- up to $250
Summary
Brookhaven exempts holiday lighting from its exterior lighting standards, but only between October 15 and January 15. Code § 85-864C(3) sets the exempt window, and § 85-863C's HOLIDAY LIGHTING definition covers string lights, illuminated menorahs, nativity scenes, illuminated candles and seasonal yard decorations installed for that period.
Holiday exterior lighting: holiday exterior lighting lit between October 15 and January 15 of the following year.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4966897; v79 updated 2026-05-28; through 05-28-2026).
Full Breakdown
Brookhaven's exterior lighting article, §§ 85-862 through 85-873, otherwise regulates every fixture installed, located or used with the intention to cause light rays to shine outdoors, including caps on illuminance, full-cutoff design mandates and curfews on business lighting. Holiday displays get a defined carve-out. Section 85-863C defines HOLIDAY LIGHTING as temporary lights used to celebrate holidays, including strings of small individual lights, illuminated menorahs, illuminated nativity scenes, illuminated candles, and various yard decorations seasonal in nature. Section 85-864C lists the article's exceptions to the general lighting standards, and C(3) states simply that holiday exterior lighting is exempt when lit between October 15 and January 15 of the following year.
m. Section 85-864B(4) also separately orders 'nonessential lighting,' including decorative flashing, blinking or tracing lights, extinguished on Town order, but expressly excludes exempt holiday lighting from that order, confirming the seasonal display carve-out survives even the article's general crackdown on decorative fixtures.
Violations & Fines
Holiday lighting kept lit outside the October 15 to January 15 window loses its exemption and is treated as an ordinary exterior lighting violation under § 85-158F: a residential first offense draws up to $250, a second within a year up to $500, and a third within three years up to $1,000 with up to 30 days in jail as a misdemeanor. Nonresidential displays outside the window face the steeper $500/$1,000/$3,000 tiers.
Frequently Asked Questions
When can I put up holiday lights in Brookhaven?
What counts as exempt holiday lighting?
Can code enforcement make me turn off blinking holiday lights?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Brookhaven
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Holiday Displays in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Suffolk County handle holiday displays.