Merced County, CA Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 18.44.070(A)(3), Exempt Signs
- Max display duration
- 60 days total
- Removal deadline
- Within 10 days after the holiday
- Permit required
- None (exempt sign)
- Siting restriction
- Barred from sight distance triangle
- Adopted
- Ord. 1976 § 2, 2019; amended Ord. 2039, 2024
Summary
In unincorporated Merced County, holiday lights and decorations qualify as exempt signs under Zoning Code § 18.44.070(A)(3): no sign permit is needed, but displays cannot stay up longer than 60 days and must come down within 10 days after the holiday, provided they never block sightlines or create a traffic hazard.
Holiday displays and decorations may be up no longer than 60 days and be removed within 10 days following the applicable holiday, but only when not creating a traffic hazard or located within any visual setback area in the sight distance triangle;
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4930839; v8 updated 2026-06-02).
Full Breakdown
070(A), and holiday displays and decorations are item 3 on that list. The exemption is conditioned: the display can be up for no more than 60 days total, must be removed within 10 days of the applicable holiday, and cannot be located within the sight distance triangle at an intersection or driveway or otherwise create a traffic hazard, which are the same siting limits the county applies to other exempt sign types. 090(C)(3) under the Temporary Signs chapter: holiday decorations or special-event signs and banners tied to a business's holiday or event promotion require Director approval as a temporary sign and must be removed no later than 10 days after the holiday or event, without the 60-day exempt-sign ceiling.
070(A)(3) governs the ordinary residential or noncommercial holiday display that needs no permit at all. 44 enforcement scheme, and both were adopted by Ord. 1976 § 2 in 2019 with the exempt-signs list last amended by Ord. 2039 in May 2024.
Violations & Fines
A holiday display left up past the 60-day exempt-sign limit, left standing more than 10 days after the holiday, or placed in a sight distance triangle loses its exemption and becomes an unpermitted sign under § 18.154.070, an infraction punishable by up to $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second within a year, and $500 for each further offense, with each day of continued violation counted separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to put up holiday lights in unincorporated Merced County?
How long can Christmas lights legally stay up?
Is there a different rule for a business's holiday banner?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Merced County
California rules heatmap·Compare Merced County to another location·View the California sign regulations overview
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