Edmonds, WA Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)
Key Facts
- Exempt content
- no written copy or graphics
- Permit needed for pure holiday lights
- no
- Still applies to exempt displays
- dimensional/placement standards
- Loses exemption if
- display adds written message or logo
Summary
Purely decorative seasonal and holiday displays are exempt from Edmonds' sign code. ECDC 20.60.095(D) excuses holiday displays that do not use written copy or graphics to convey a message from the chapter's permitting, size, and lighting rules, so a light display with no text or logo needs no sign permit, though dimensional and placement standards still apply.
The following types of signs are exempted from regulations of this chapter, except that the dimensional and placement standards shall apply unless variance is required by other provisions of local, state or federal law: ... D. Seasonal and holiday displays not incorporating the use of written copy or graphics to convey a message.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 4444, passed August 3, 2026).
Full Breakdown
ECDC 20.60.095 lists sign types "exempted from regulations of this chapter," meaning they need no sign permit under ECDC 20.60.010 and are not subject to the size, illumination, or reader-board rules in ECDC 20.60.020 through 20.60.090. Subsection (D) places seasonal and holiday displays not incorporating the use of written copy or graphics to convey a message on that exempt list, alongside signs required by law, official public notices, signs not visible from a public location, and gravestones. The carve-out turns on content, not the calendar: a residential light display, wreath, or decorative figure with no text or logo is exempt outright, while a holiday display that adds a written message, such as a lettered banner or an illuminated word sign, drops out of the exemption and becomes subject to the chapter's general sign standards, including ECDC 20.60.020(F)'s prohibition on blinking, flashing or moving illumination.
Even an exempt display is not entirely unregulated: the opening line of ECDC 20.60.095 preserves the sign code's dimensional and placement standards, so a holiday display still cannot violate rules such as those on obstructing sight distance or encroaching into the public right-of-way found elsewhere in ECDC 20.60.090. There is no provision in ECDC 20.60.095 limiting how many days a purely decorative seasonal display may remain up.
Violations & Fines
A holiday display that loses its exemption, most commonly by adding written text or graphics, must comply with the sign code or face enforcement under ECDC 20.60.100. The planning director issues written notice of the violation and a deadline to cure; an uncorrected violation is referred to the city attorney's office, and conviction is a misdemeanor carrying a $25.00 fine for each day the violation continues. A display exempt under ECDC 20.60.095(D) is not subject to this enforcement path unless it violates the dimensional or placement standards the exemption preserves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit for holiday lights in Edmonds?
Does a holiday sign with a lettered message need to follow the sign code?
Are there placement rules for holiday displays even though they're exempt?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Edmonds
Compare Edmonds to another location·View the Washington sign regulations overview
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Holiday Displays in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Snohomish County handle holiday displays.