Jackson, TN Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)
Key Facts
- Max continuous display
- 60 consecutive days
- Max total per year
- 60 days in any calendar year
- Setback from lot lines
- 10 feet
- Intersection sight clearance
- 72 inches high within 55 feet
- Permit needed
- No, exempt under § 14-408(2)(e)
Summary
In the City of Jackson, Tennessee, holiday-themed signs are exempt from the sign code's permit and design rules under § 14-408(2)(e), but only for up to 60 consecutive days and no more than 60 days total in any calendar year. The signs must sit back 10 feet from lot lines and keep visibility clear near street intersections.
(e)Holiday decorations. Signs of a primarily decorative nature, clearly incidental and customary and commonly associated with any national, local or religious holiday; provided that such signs shall be displayed for a period of not more than sixty (60) consecutive days nor more than sixty (60) days in any one (1) year. Such signs may be of any type, number, area, height, illumination or animation; and shall be set back ten feet (10') from all boundary lines of the lot, provided that a clear area be maintained to a height of seventy-two inches (72"), within fifty-five feet (55') of the intersection of two (2) streets, a railroad and street and a street and driveway.
Full Breakdown
Jackson's sign code treats holiday displays as an exempt sign category rather than a regulated one, so long as the display stays within § 14-408(2)(e)'s time and placement limits. The exemption covers signs of a primarily decorative nature that are clearly incidental and customary to a national, local or religious holiday, and it allows them to be of any type, number, area, height, illumination or animation, unlike other signs in the code, which are otherwise capped on square footage and barred from animation under § 14-409(1).
The tradeoff for that flexibility is duration: a holiday display cannot stay up longer than 60 consecutive days, and across a full year it cannot total more than 60 days on display, whether that time is used in one stretch or several shorter ones. Placement carries its own safety condition: every holiday display must be set back 10 feet from all boundary lines of the lot, and where the site sits within 55 feet of the intersection of two streets, a railroad crossing and a street, or a street and a driveway, the display must leave a sight-clearance zone at least 72 inches high so drivers and pedestrians retain a clear line of sight.
Because holiday displays fall under the exempt-sign provisions of § 14-408, no sign permit or fee is required for them, unlike the permit the administrator requires for most other signs under § 14-403(1).
Violations & Fines
A holiday display left up beyond the 60-consecutive-day or 60-day-per-year limit, or one that blocks the required 72-inch sight-clearance zone near an intersection, loses its exempt status and becomes an unlawful sign subject to removal, civil abatement, or misdemeanor prosecution under § 14-414. The property owner can also be ordered to take the display down at their own expense.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can I keep holiday lights and signage up in Jackson?
Do holiday signs need a sign permit in Jackson?
Where can I place a holiday display on my property?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Jackson
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