Sussex County, DE Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)

Zoning Code § 115-160B governs which signs may be erected without going through the county's standard permit process under § 115-160A, which otherwise requires an application, drawings and specifications filed with the Director before any sign is built, altered or relocated. Subsection B(10) places "special decorative displays used for holidays, public demonstrations or promotion for nonpartisan civic purposes" on that no-permit list alongside government signs, real estate signs, construction signs, and temporary election signs. The code sets no separate square-footage cap, height limit or display-duration window specifically for holiday decorations the way it does for, say, election signs (capped at 90 days before and 30 days after a contested election under § 115-160B(11)) or construction signs (permitted only while work is actually underway under § 115-159A(9)).

Holiday displays are not otherwise unregulated, however: like all signs, they remain subject to the countywide maintenance standard in § 115-160H, which lets the Director order removal, at the owner's expense, of any sign that becomes dilapidated or shows gross neglect, and to the lighting standards in § 115-161B barring glare directed at roadways or that impairs a driver's vision. 65-per-square-foot sign fee schedule under § 115-160A(3), or await Director approval before putting up holiday lighting or decorations on their property.