Downey, CA Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)
Key Facts
- Earliest display date
- 45 days before the holiday
- Removal deadline
- 14 days after the holiday
- Permit required
- None, exempt sign under § 9612
- Size/height/number limit
- None set by Table 9.6.1
- Illegal-sign cure period
- 30 days, § 9626
- First-offense infraction fine
- Up to $100, § 1200
Summary
Downey exempts holiday lights, decorations and displays from sign permits, but only for a fixed window. Municipal Code Table 9.6.1 lets them go up no sooner than 45 days before a national or religious holiday and requires removal within 14 days after it. There is no area, number or height limit on the display itself.
A sign permit shall not be required for exempt signs. Such signs shall be exempt from the sign regulations and design standards of this chapter except for regulations related to prohibited signs and locations provided in Section 9614. Exempt signs are permitted in all zones subject to the requirements of Table 9.6.1. [...]
Holiday lights, decorations, and displays NR NR NR
• May be displayed no sooner than 45 days before a national or religious holiday and removed within 14 days after the holiday
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4807734; v5 updated 2026-01-27).
Full Breakdown
1, the Schedule of Exempt Signs. Exempt status means the display does not need a sign permit and is not counted toward a property's maximum sign area, but it is not unconditional: § 9612 states exempt signs "shall be exempt from the sign regulations and design standards of this chapter except for regulations related to prohibited signs and locations provided in Section 9614," so a holiday display still cannot go up in a prohibited location, such as blocking a fire hydrant or a sight line.
" Outside that roughly two-month window, the same lights are no longer an exempt holiday display, and the City treats a display left up past the window as an unpermitted sign because it no longer meets the conditions the exemption depends on. 1 sets no maximum square footage, no maximum number of displays, and no height cap for this category, unlike other exempt signs on the same table, such as balloons or directional signs, which do carry separate size limits. This is one of the few sign categories in Chapter 6 with zero permit paperwork required at any point, provided the calendar window is honored.
Violations & Fines
A holiday display left up past the 14-day removal deadline loses its exempt status and becomes an illegal sign under § 9626, which gives the owner 30 days to remove it or bring it into conformance once the City Planner issues notice, and lets the City Planner abate it directly if it is not corrected. Separately, Municipal Code § 1200 makes any Code violation punishable as a misdemeanor, up to a $1,000 fine and six months in jail, or as an infraction starting at a $100 fine for a first offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Downey
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Holiday Displays in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle holiday displays.