Medford, OR Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required
- No
- Qualifying occasions
- Traditionally accepted patriotic or religious holidays
- Size/height limit stated
- None specified
- Governing section
- MMC 10.1022(10)(a)
- Reviewing department
- Planning Department
Summary
Medford exempts holiday decorations from its sign permit requirement citywide, covering displays for traditionally accepted patriotic or religious holidays, with no permit or fee needed from the Planning Department.
(10) These types of Temporary Signs, which are in addition to any of the signs in subsections 1-8 above: (a) Holiday Displays. Decorations or displays celebrating the occasion of traditionally accepted patriotic or religious holidays.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 2026-32, passed May 6, 2026).
Full Breakdown
1022 lists exceptions. Subsection (10) creates a category of temporary signs allowed "in addition to any of the signs in subsections 1-8 above," and subsection (10)(a) names "Holiday Displays" as decorations or displays celebrating the occasion of traditionally accepted patriotic or religious holidays. Unlike the real estate and political campaign sign exemptions listed right next to it in subsections (10)(b) and (10)(c), which carry explicit square-footage caps and height limits, the holiday-display exemption carries no numeric size or height restriction in the text. 1010 notes that temporary signs permitted without a permit, including holiday displays, real estate signs and political campaign signs, can have differing durations from the standard 30-day temporary-sign window that applies to other temporary signage requiring a permit.
1030 altogether, homeowners and businesses can put up seasonal lighting or decorations without filing paperwork with the Planning Department, provided the display is genuinely tied to a recognized patriotic or religious holiday rather than a permanent commercial message.
Violations & Fines
A display that is not tied to a traditionally accepted patriotic or religious holiday, or that functions as permanent advertising rather than seasonal decoration, does not qualify for the exemption and can be treated as an unpermitted sign under Section 10.1020, subject to removal or the nuisance-abatement process in Section 10.1130.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to put up holiday lights in Medford?
Is there a time limit on how long holiday displays can stay up?
Does a holiday display need to be a certain size in Medford?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Medford
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