Daly City, CA Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)

Daly City Municipal Code Chapter 17.32 (Signs) regulates 'signs,' which generally means displays bearing copy intended to identify, advertise, or direct attention to a product, service, person, or event. Traditional residential holiday lights, wreaths, inflatable Santas, menorahs, nativity scenes, and similar seasonal decorations are not 'signs' for zoning purposes and are not subject to permit. Daly City has no dedicated ordinance limiting how early or late a homeowner may put up or take down holiday decorations, and no published days-of-the-year window. Holiday displays are, however, still subject to four other ordinances: (1) DCMC 17.32.160 prohibits placing any displays, including decorations, in the public right-of-way (sidewalks, parkways, medians) without a permit, and prohibits attaching anything to street trees, streetlights, or traffic signs; (2) Daly City's nuisance and public-peace rules in DCMC Title 8 prohibit displays that create a fire hazard, attract crowds blocking sidewalks/streets, or otherwise unreasonably interfere with neighboring property; (3) any audio (music, narrators, animatronic sound effects) is subject to the citywide noise ordinance and the public-peace chapter under Title 8 / Title 9, which prohibit unreasonably loud or persistent sound; (4) extension cords, illuminated displays, and temporary electrical installations must comply with the California Electrical Code adopted by reference in DCMC Title 15 (Buildings and Construction), including no cords across public sidewalks. California has no statewide ordinance preempting local holiday-display regulation; HOAs in Daly City may impose reasonable time and aesthetic restrictions on holiday decorations through their CC&Rs, but they cannot prohibit religious displays such as menorahs, crucifixes, or mezuzahs on owner-controlled exterior surfaces (Cal. Civ. Code 1940.45 for tenants; Cal. Civ. Code 4706 for HOAs — limited religious display protections).