Colonie, NY Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)

Town Code § 190-83(C) lists 24 sign types that are exempt from every provision and requirement of the Town's sign article, not just the permit step; item 18 on that list is holiday decorations. The exemption applies only 'for and during the particular holiday they relate to or symbolize,' so a lit reindeer display counts as exempt through the Christmas season but does not carry a blanket year-round exemption once the holiday has passed. Because the exemption sits inside the same subsection as sign types like historical markers, no-trespassing signs, and farm stand signs, the Town treats a holiday display exactly like those other exempt categories: no size limit, no height limit, no application to the Building Department, and no fee, provided the display is timed to the holiday it represents.

If a homeowner leaves a display up well past its holiday, the Building Department can treat it as no longer exempt and enforce it under the article's illegal-sign provisions in § 190-83(E), which cover unpermitted, unmaintained, or otherwise noncompliant signs. That section lets the Building Department serve a written notice requiring removal within 10 business days, by hand or certified mail, and if the owner or occupant does not comply, the Town can enter the property, remove the display, and bill the cost to whoever owns, leases, or occupies the property.

The Town Board has not written a fixed calendar cutoff for any single holiday into this section, so enforcement is discretionary and tied to how far outside the relevant holiday period the display remains.