Loveland, CO Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- UDC § 18.04.08.02(D), Sign Permit Required
- Seasonal decorations
- Exempt from the sign permit requirement
- Flashing/animated holiday lights
- Exempt from nuisance-lighting ban, § 18.09.02.02.D.3
- Duration limit
- No fixed day-count stated in the code text
- Other sign rules
- General prohibitions in § 18.04.08.04 still apply
Summary
Loveland does not require a sign permit for seasonal decorations, so holiday lights and displays can go up without City sign review. A separate lighting rule also lets holiday displays flash or change intensity even though that is normally barred as nuisance lighting citywide.
D. Sign Permit Required. 1. Generally. No sign shall be displayed, constructed, installed, erected, or altered within the City limits until the City has issued a sign permit, except as specifically provided in this Division. 2. Exceptions. a. No permit is required for routine sign maintenance, painting or replacing light sources with lighting of comparable brightness. b. No permit is required for: ... ii. Incidental Signs or Decals. iii. Required Signs. iv. Seasonal Decorations. v. Small signs that are less than two square feet in area, affixed to a building or structure, provided that not more than two small signs are installed per premises per frontage.
Full Breakdown
D generally requires a sign permit before any sign is displayed, constructed, installed, erected, or altered within City limits, but lists several permit exceptions. iv exempts "Seasonal Decorations" outright from the sign permit requirement. The code text does not attach a specific day-count duration to that exemption. 3 carves out "temporary holiday displays" from that ban, so string lights, inflatable displays, and other seasonal fixtures can flash or change intensity without violating the general lighting rule. 02, so a holiday display using building-mounted or roadway-facing fixtures still falls under the division's general full cut-off, shielding, and 10:00 PM curfew standards for anything other than the flashing itself.
04, so a display that functions as permanent commercial signage, rather than a seasonal decoration, would fall outside the exemption and require a standard sign permit.
Violations & Fines
Because seasonal decorations are permit-exempt, putting them up is not itself a violation. A display that exceeds the exemption, such as a sign-like fixture left up as permanent signage, becomes subject to the standard permit process and is enforceable under UDC Chapter 18.18: civil remedies under § 18.18.03.01 (fines, abatement, injunction) or, on conviction, a criminal penalty under § 18.18.03.02 up to the Municipal Code maximum fine or up to one year in jail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit for holiday lights or decorations?
Can holiday lights flash or change color in Loveland?
Is there a time limit on how long decorations can stay up?
Do any sign rules still apply to holiday displays?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Loveland
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