Caddo Parish, LA Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing definition
- UDC § 2.3, "Attention Getting Device"
- Exemption
- Temporary holiday decorations excluded from sign definition
- Non-holiday device limit
- 15 days, or 7 days before/2 after event
- Annual cap (non-holiday)
- Four display periods per year, 30 days apart
- Permit needed for holiday decor
- None under Article 9's sign rules
- Enforcement/appeals
- Zoning Administrator; appeal to Zoning Board of Appeals
Summary
Caddo Parish's Unified Development Code excludes temporary holiday decorations from its definition of "attention getting device," the sign category that carries strict display-period limits. Because holiday lights and decor fall outside that definition, they escape the 15-day cap and four-display-per-year rule that apply to banners, pennants and similar devices under UDC Article 9. No parish duration limit governs seasonal displays.
Attention Getting Device. Sails, pennants, banners, and similar devices or ornamentations designed to attract attention. Flags of nations, states, and cities, or fraternal, religious and civic organizations, permanent commercial flags, or temporary holiday decorations are not considered attention getting devices. Certain types of attention getting devices are specifically prohibited by this Code in Article 9.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 26 | Unified Development Code: Supplement 2).
Full Breakdown
Article 2, Section 2.3 of the Caddo Parish Unified Development Code defines "Attention Getting Device" as sails, pennants, banners and similar devices or ornamentations designed to attract attention, then carves out exclusions: flags of nations, states and cities; fraternal, religious and civic flags; permanent commercial flags; and temporary holiday decorations. That last exclusion means holiday lighting, wreaths, inflatables and similar seasonal decor are not attention-getting devices under this Code at all. The distinction matters because UDC Section 9.7.C limits true attention-getting devices to tight display windows: a freestanding device tied to a specific event may go up seven days before the event and must come down two days after, a device not tied to an event is capped at 15 days on display, and no site may run more than four display periods a year with at least 30 days between them.
Attention-getting devices also require a sign permit in the commercial, downtown and industrial districts listed in Table 9-2, plus size caps (24 square feet freestanding, up to 64 square feet wall-mounted) and a five-foot setback from lot lines. Because temporary holiday decorations sit outside the "attention getting device" definition, none of those day counts, permit steps, size limits or setbacks reach them under Article 9. A homeowner or business in unincorporated Caddo Parish can put up Christmas lights, a lit yard display or a seasonal wreath without a sign permit and without a parish-imposed removal date.
The exemption covers only the sign article; it does not excuse a decoration from separate parish rules on electrical safety or obstruction of sight lines at intersections and driveways.
Violations & Fines
Holiday decorations that stay genuinely temporary carry no citation risk under Article 9's day limits or permit rules, since the Section 2.3 exemption removes them from "attention getting device" status entirely. A display that stays up outside the season, doubles as a commercial sign, or blocks a required sight line can be reclassified as a regulated sign by the Zoning Administrator. Sign-permit decisions may be appealed to the Zoning Board of Appeals within 30 days under the Code's sign-inspection and appeal provisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit for holiday lights in unincorporated Caddo Parish?
Is there a deadline to take down Christmas lights in the parish?
Could a large yard display still get cited?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Caddo Parish
Compare Caddo Parish to another location·View the Louisiana sign regulations overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.