Hendersonville, TN Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)

Holiday displays in Hendersonville are not separately regulated as a category. (1) The City Sign Ordinance — Chapter 13 of the Zoning Ordinance — regulates 'signs' (devices bearing commercial or noncommercial messages). Generic holiday decorations such as wreaths, garlands, lights, and inflatables that do not advertise a specific commercial message or carry a regulated sign message are not treated as 'signs' and have no calendar take-down deadline in the City Code. (2) Under the City's Prohibited Signs guidance (updated 6/22/2022), the following are prohibited as signs city-wide: 'Strings of lights (with the exception of high-quality lighting for approved outdoor seating for restaurants),' 'Inflatable signs including inflated characters, lighter-than-air devices, and other balloon-type devices,' 'Pennants,' 'Streamers,' 'Animated' signs, 'Beacons,' and 'Flashing signs, including flashing signs inside the window if visible from the street.' Where a holiday display crosses into signage territory (e.g., a flashing animated commercial display), Chapter 13 enforcement applies. (3) Property maintenance — Hendersonville adopted the 2021 International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC) effective 7/1/2025 under its Adopted Codes list, which sets minimum exterior property standards; displays that create nuisance conditions (lights glaring into a neighbor's window, hazardous wiring, debris) can be cited under the IPMC. (4) Right-of-way and visibility — decorations may not be placed in the public right-of-way (Prohibited Signs list), and any display obstructing the view of authorized traffic signals or creating driver hazards must be removed at the direction of Public Works; if not removed within 10 days of notice, the Planning Department removes them and the cost becomes a lien. (5) HOAs — many Hendersonville subdivisions have HOA covenants that impose take-down dates and aesthetic limits independent of the City. (6) Enforcement: Planning Department 615-264-5316.