Hanford, CA Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)

140 of the Hanford Municipal Code regulates outdoor electrically powered lighting citywide to conserve energy, protect the night environment, and provide safety without spilling light onto neighboring property. Subsection (B) defines "temporary lighting" as any fixture that does not conform to the section's shielding, height, and timer standards and that will not run for more than one continuous 30-day period within a calendar year, and it lists holiday decorations, civic events, special events, construction projects, and emergencies as the uses this covers. The City can extend that 30-day window case-by-case for unusual or special circumstances, so a homeowner or business that needs more time can ask the Community Development Department before the run expires rather than after.

" That second exemption carries no 30-day clock at all: because low-voltage strand lighting sits outside the temporary-lighting definition, it can stay up year-round without violating this section, while higher-voltage or unshielded holiday displays fall under the 30-day temporary-lighting cap and must come down, or be granted an extension, once that period lapses. The section's general standards on fixture height, shielding, and automatic timing devices apply outside these exemptions in every zone district, and commercial properties carry the added requirement that non-exempt lighting be shut off after close of business unless triggered by a motion sensor.