Kingsport, TN Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)
Key Facts
- Allowed districts
- B-2, B-3 and B-4P
- Holiday window
- November 15 through January 5, no restriction
- Style
- One color; no blinking, running or simulated movement
- Curfew
- Off 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. within 500 feet of residential area
- Length cap
- 40 linear feet at 8,000 square feet or less; 150 at 30,000 or more
- Seasonal decorations
- No sign permit if not advertising a product, service or entertainment
Summary
Kingsport's decorative lighting rule, § 114-537, allows decorative lighting in the B-2, B-3 and B-4P districts and states that from November 15 through January 5 there is no restriction on it. Where it is permitted, the lights stay one color, cannot blink, run or simulate movement, and are capped at 40 linear feet for smaller businesses and 150 for larger ones.
Decorative Lighting is only allowed in the following zoning districts: B-2, Central Business District, B-3, Highway Oriented Business District, and B-4P, Planned Business District. In addition from November 15 th through January 5 th , which is generally recognized as the traditional retail holiday season, there is no restriction on decorative lighting. (1)Decorative lighting where permitted shall be one color, and it cannot blink, run or simulate movement or animation of any kind. If decorative lighting is within 500 feet of a residential area, it must be turned off between the hours of 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.(2)If the building ground coverage of a business is 30,000 square feet or more, the maximum linear feet of decorative lighting is 150 linear feet. If the building ground coverage of a business is 8,000 square feet or less, the maximum linear feet of decorative lighting is 40 linear feet. For businesses with intermediate ground coverage, the linear feet of decorative lighting is one-half of one percent of the building ground coverage.
Full Breakdown
Section 114-537 closes the sign article in Chapter 114 of the City of Kingsport's Code of Ordinances, in Sullivan County, Tennessee. It began as Ord. No. 6533 on Jan. 19, 2016 and was amended by Ord. No. 7008 on 4-19-2022. An editor's note explains that the provisions were redesignated as § 114-537 because a section numbered 114-536 already existed.
The first sentence limits decorative lighting to three commercial districts: B-2 Central Business, B-3 Highway Oriented Business, and B-4P Planned Business. The second sentence sets the holiday window. From November 15 through January 5, which the code calls the traditional retail holiday season, there is no restriction on decorative lighting. The section speaks to those three districts and does not mention residential holiday displays.
Where decorative lighting is permitted, it shall be one color and cannot blink, run or simulate movement or animation of any kind. Within 500 feet of a residential area it must be turned off between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. Length is tied to the size of the business: a business with building ground coverage of 30,000 square feet or more gets a maximum of 150 linear feet, one with 8,000 square feet or less gets 40 linear feet, and intermediate businesses get one-half of one percent of the building ground coverage in linear feet.
Other sign-article rules touch seasonal displays. Section 114-528 exempts from the sign permit requirement, in all zoning districts, decorations that are seasonal displays not advertising a product, service or entertainment. Animated signs are prohibited (§ 114-529), neon-type signs are permitted only in B-2, B-3, and B-4P zones, and any illumination that causes direct glare upon an unrelated building is prohibited as determined by the zoning administrator (§ 114-530). Streamers, flags, air-filled devices and searchlights are allowed two times per calendar year per proprietor, for a maximum of 15 days per event, with a permit from the building official.
Violations & Fines
The zoning administrator enforces the sign article, investigates complaints and can order discontinuance of illegal work or use (§ 114-35). Where the article names no specific penalty, the general penalty in § 1-14 applies: not less than $10.00 or more than $50.00, and each day is a separate offense unless otherwise provided. The zoning administrator or building official can also seek an injunction or mandamus under § 114-38. Lighting that blinks, runs or simulates movement, or that stays on past the curfew near a residential area, falls outside the section's terms.
Frequently Asked Questions
When can Kingsport businesses run holiday lights without restriction?
Do Kingsport decorative lights have to be turned off at night?
How many linear feet of decorative lighting can a Kingsport business use?
Does a seasonal decoration need a Kingsport sign permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kingsport
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