Killeen, TX Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)

Killeen adopted its outdoor lighting division, sections 31-896 through 31-899, on May 14, 2024 under Ordinance No. 24-016. The stated purpose is to reduce light pollution, glare and light trespass while preserving the ability to view the night sky. Section 31-897(a) makes the division applicable to all property inside the city limits, but subsection (b) lists three exceptions: property more than five miles from the boundary of a military base with an active training program, outdoor lighting already installed before the May 2024 ordinance, and temporary lighting for holiday decorations, civic events, or construction projects.

For everyone else, the rules are strict. Commercial, manufacturing and multifamily properties under section 31-898 must keep free-standing fixtures at or below 15 feet and wall-mounted fixtures at or below 12 feet, shield every fixture to point downward, and route lighting away from adjoining streets and homes; uplighting is banned outright except for flagpoles and ornamental art. Single-family and two-family districts under section 31-899 face the same trespass and uplighting bans with lower 8-foot and 10-foot height caps. A holiday display that stays in the yard, does not glare into a neighbor's window and does not blind passing drivers needs none of that: no site plan, no building official review, no height cap.

The exemption disappears the moment the display crosses into light trespass or creates a driving hazard, at which point the property reverts to the full commercial or residential standard that otherwise applies, including the permit and shielding requirements imposed on year-round fixtures.