Kennewick, WA Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)
Key Facts
- Seasonal decoration exclusion window
- 60 consecutive calendar days
- Small residential lighting exemption
- under 1,800 lumens, no time limit
- Default fixture rule
- must be shielded/directed downward
- Floodlighting buildings/signs midnight-sunrise
- unlawful (KMC 18.39.040)
- Enforcement statute of limitations
- 1 year from violation (KMC 18.39.070)
- Penalty
- misdemeanor under KMC 18.54.090
Summary
Kennewick's outdoor lighting ordinance excludes seasonal decorations from its glare and shielding rules only while they're illuminated 60 consecutive calendar days or fewer, under KMC 18.39.050(5). Private residential lighting under 1,800 lumens is separately exempt outright with no time cap. Leave a bigger display lit past 60 days and it falls back under Chapter 18.39's standards, enforced as a Title 18 misdemeanor.
18.39.050: - Exclusions. (1)Outdoor light fixtures of all types within the City limits of Kennewick existing prior to the effective date of November 12, 1973.(2)Private residential outdoor illumination of less than 1,800 lumens.(3)Light produced directly by the combustion of natural gas or other fuels.(4)Signs in which light is produced by glass tubing filled with neon, argon, and/or krypton.(5)Seasonal decorations illuminated no longer than 60 consecutive calendar days.(6)Security lights of any wattage that are controlled by motion sensor switch and which do not remain on longer than ten minutes after activation.(7)Signs of the type constructed of translucent materials and wholly illuminated from within which are in compliance with Section 18.39.030.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 19 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
050 lists seven exclusions from that shielding duty. Two matter most for holiday displays: subsection (5) excludes "seasonal decorations illuminated no longer than 60 consecutive calendar days," and subsection (2) separately and unconditionally excludes "private residential outdoor illumination of less than 1,800 lumens" with no day limit at all, meaning a modest string-light display can stay up indefinitely if it stays under that lumen threshold. 030. 040(2) makes it unlawful to floodlight any building, public or private, "by floodlight projected above the horizontal, between midnight and sunrise," a provision that reaches an oversized holiday floodlight display aimed up a house façade overnight, regardless of the 60-day exclusion. "
Violations & Fines
Operating an outdoor light fixture, holiday or otherwise, outside these exclusions and without the required shielding is a misdemeanor under KMC 18.54.090, which applies to any violation of a Title 18 provision. The City must bring an enforcement action within one year of the violation date under KMC 18.39.070, and floodlighting a building or sign above the horizontal between midnight and sunrise is independently unlawful under KMC 18.39.040.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can holiday lights stay up in Kennewick before they violate the lighting code?
Do small strings of holiday lights need to come down after 60 days?
Can I floodlight my house for a holiday display overnight?
What happens if I'm cited for a holiday lighting violation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kennewick
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