Riverside County, CA Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)

Section 17.292.030 defines a 'holiday display' as anything commonly associated with a local or religious holiday and erected temporarily, listing Christmas lights and other decorations and Halloween decorations as examples, while expressly excluding patriotic displays such as a flag or ribbon from the definition. Section 17.292.040(6) then sets the operating rules for those displays inside the overlay: they can't impede vehicular or pedestrian traffic on a street, sidewalk or right-of-way, either visually or physically; they're capped at 60 consecutive days; and any county or state permit that would otherwise be required, such as an electrical permit for a large lighting installation, still has to be obtained before the display goes up.

The section carves out one exemption: a temporary outdoor event like a community fair, music festival or yard sale can be exempted from these display rules by the planning department, though it remains subject to every other provision of the overlay ordinance. Like the rest of the BDNPO, the 60-day holiday-display cap only reaches property inside the Bermuda Dunes Community Council boundary; the balance of unincorporated Riverside County and the county's 28 incorporated cities aren't subject to this specific duration limit. Enforcement runs through Section 17.292.050, with the code enforcement department as lead agency under Ordinance No. 725's protocols and a standard 20-day correction window after a notice of violation.