El Paso, TX Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)

060 as temporary outdoor light displays made up of unshielded, low-wattage incandescent lamps of fifteen watts or less, the strings of holiday lights most El Paso homeowners hang each winter. 080, and the table's own notes confirm seasonal decorations are excluded from its acre-based lumen ceiling and are permitted in every lighting zone. The exemption isn't unlimited, though. 300 before it can be used, the same permit process that governs carnivals, grand openings and construction lighting. That means submitting the permit request at least five city working days before the display goes up, paying the city's established fee, and getting the director's written approval, which is valid for up to thirty consecutive calendar days and renewable once for another thirty days.

Laser use is further restricted: it can't be aimed at residential property, structures, the public right-of-way, or vehicles, and requires any applicable state or federal approvals. Ordinary string lights need none of this: no permit, no shielding, no lumen count.