Madison County has no ordinance regulating holiday lights, inflatables, or yard displays in unincorporated areas, and Alabama has no statute on them. A homeowner may decorate without a county permit; deed restrictions are the only real limit.
There is no county rule on Christmas lights, seasonal inflatables, or other holiday displays outside city limits; Madison County does not legislate residential decorations, and its zoning imposes no signage or display requirements. Alabama has no state law on holiday displays either. In a deed-restricted subdivision, the homeowners' association's covenants set any limits — how long lights may stay up, brightness, and whether large inflatables are allowed. Unlike Texas, Alabama has no statute barring an HOA from restricting religious displays, so the Homeowners' Association Act, §35-20-1 et seq., leaves display rules entirely to the recorded covenants. Outside an HOA, a homeowner in Hazel Green, Meridianville, or the rest of the unincorporated county decorates freely.
Outside an HOA there is no penalty — the county does not cite holiday displays. Within an HOA, covenant violations for out-of-season or oversized displays carry the fines set in the association's documents.
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Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Madison County.
See how Madison's holiday displays rules stack up against other locations.
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