Chicago, IL Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)

Chapter 17-12 of the Chicago Zoning Ordinance lists categories of signage that are exempt from regulation entirely, and holiday decorations with no commercial message are one of them under MCC § 17-12-0505, alongside works of art (§ 17-12-0504) and legally required official/warning signs (§ 17-12-0501). Because the exemption covers the whole Zoning Ordinance, residents and businesses can put up string lights, wreaths, inflatable figures, and similar seasonal displays without a sign permit, without meeting the chapter's height or area limits, and without a mandated take-down date. The exemption disappears the moment the display carries a commercial message, an ad or a business name, for example, which then must comply with the standard sign rules in Chapter 17-12, including the 6-to-12-week duration caps that apply to ordinary temporary signs.