Fountain, CO Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)
Key Facts
- Base limit
- 45 days installed
- R-2/R-3/R-4 occupancies
- 90 days
- Exempt
- LED rope lighting
- Exempt
- one- and two-family dwellings
- Classified as
- temporary wiring under NFPA 70
- Enforced by
- Fire Prevention Division, Station 1
- Latest amendment
- Ord. No. 1790, 7-11-2023
Summary
Fountain's Fire Code caps decorative holiday lighting at 45 days of installation, extending to 90 days for apartment, condominium and other multifamily occupancies. Section 605.9.2, added to the adopted 2015 International Fire Code, treats holiday lights as temporary wiring under NFPA 70, but exempts LED rope lighting and one- and two-family homes from the time limit entirely.
G.605.9.2. Decorative holiday lighting. Add section 605.9.2 to read as follows: 605.9.2. Decorative holiday lighting. Decorative holiday lighting is considered temporary wiring per NFPA 70. Decorative holiday lighting is allowed to be installed for a period to not exceed 45 days.a.Exceptions:(1)Group R-2, R-3 and R-4 occupancies for up to 90 days.(2)LED rope lighting.(3)In one- and two-family dwellings.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 3).
Full Breakdown
2, Decorative Holiday Lighting, which classifies holiday lights as temporary wiring governed by NFPA 70. The base rule is a 45-day installation window. Group R-2, R-3 and R-4 occupancies, meaning apartment buildings, boarding houses and similar multifamily or congregate residential uses, get an extended 90-day window instead. Two further exceptions remove the clock altogether: LED rope lighting is exempt outright, and any decorative holiday lighting in a one- or two-family dwelling falls outside the time limit as well, so a homeowner's string lights on a single-family house are not subject to the 45- or 90-day cap.
9, otherwise limits temporary power and lighting installations to 60 days and requires methods that meet NFPA 70. 040. This amendment was most recently updated by Ordinance No. 1790, adopted July 11, 2023, which revised Exhibit C of the fire code amendments; the original chapter dates to Ordinance No. 1715, adopted December 11, 2018.
Violations & Fines
Violating any fire code provision, including the holiday lighting time limit, is unlawful under section 15.04.080 and is punished under Fountain's general penalty, section 1.12.010: a fine of up to $2,650.00, up to a year in jail, or both, with each day the lighting stays up past the deadline treated as a separate offense the fire prevention division can cite.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can I leave up holiday lights in Fountain, CO?
Do LED lights have to come down after 45 days?
Who enforces Fountain's holiday lighting rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fountain
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Holiday Displays in Nearby Cities
How other cities in El Paso County handle holiday displays.