Compton, CA Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)

Compton's sign code carves out two separate holiday windows depending on the property. Residential holiday signs, lights, flags, banners, pennants and balloons need no sign permit under Sec. 4(a)(5), but the exemption is conditional: it only holds while the display is up during the holiday period, and the resident must take it down once that period closes. Commercial properties get a fixed date instead of an open-ended standard. 4(a)(14) allows non-advertising seasonal decorations, specifically naming Christmas decorations, to go up at any point in November or December, but requires their removal within the first week of January regardless of when they were installed.

Both exemptions require the display to skip any advertising message: the moment a holiday display carries a business name, logo or promotional copy, it drops out of the exempt category and needs a standard sign permit reviewed under Sec. 5. A display left up past its window becomes an illegal sign subject to the abatement procedure at Sec. 8: the City mails and posts a notice requiring removal within 30 days, and if the owner does not comply or file a written appeal to the Planning Director, the City can remove the display itself and bill the property owner for the cost.