Sandoval County, NM Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit needed
- None, for holiday decorations/banners
- Governing provision
- Sign Ordinance § 8(L)
- Covered occasions
- Patriotic, religious, or local holidays
- Still applies
- General rules, e.g., Vision Clearance
- Contrast
- Political signs: remove within 30 days
- Violation fine
- Up to $300 if rules broken
Summary
Temporary decorations or banners celebrating traditionally accepted patriotic, religious, or local holidays don't need a sign permit anywhere in Sandoval County. The Sign Ordinance's exempt-signs list covers them outright, though they still have to follow the ordinance's general placement and safety rules.
The following are signs that are Permitted Uses under the Ordinances of Sandoval County and do not require a sign permit:A.Signs not exceeding one sq. ft. in area and bearing only property numbers, post box numbers, or names of occupants on premises...[K.]L.Temporary decorations or displays (banners) celebrating the occasion of traditionally accepted patriotic, religious or local holidays or events.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 13).
Full Breakdown
" That puts holiday lighting, wreaths, and seasonal banners in the same no-permit category as government signs, real estate signs under 10 square feet, and construction signs, rather than treating them like ordinary commercial signage. The exemption comes with no stated display-duration limit for holidays specifically, unlike the neighboring exemptions in the same section: political signs must come down within 30 days of the election, and the separate Prohibited Signs article caps temporary sales or promotional banners at 15 days per year. Even though a permit isn't required, Section 8's opening line makes clear exempt signs "shall be subject to any and all applicable provisions of this Ordinance," so a holiday display still can't sit inside the Vision Clearance triangle at a corner lot, obstruct traffic sightlines, or use flashing or moving lights covered by the ordinance's general restrictions in Section 6.
If a display exceeds those general limits, for instance by becoming a permanent illuminated fixture rather than a temporary holiday banner, the county can treat it as an unpermitted sign subject to removal and citation.
Violations & Fines
Because holiday displays are exempt only from the permit requirement, one that violates the ordinance's general rules, blocking the Vision Clearance triangle, using flashing or moving lights, or becoming a permanent rather than temporary installation, loses its exempt status and can be cited as an unpermitted sign, subject to removal and the Section 24 penalty of up to $300 per violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit for Christmas lights or holiday banners?
Is there a deadline to take down holiday decorations?
Can my holiday display block the corner sight triangle?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sandoval County
Compare Sandoval County to another location·View the New Mexico sign regulations overview
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