Coconino County, AZ Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)
Key Facts
- Exempt period
- November 15 through January 15
- Exemption scope
- Low-lumen holiday decorations, all lighting zones
- Outside the window
- Standard shielding and curfew rules apply
- Cross-reference
- Cited in Section 4.3.D.7 curfew exemption
Summary
Coconino County exempts holiday lighting from its outdoor lighting shielding rules, but only for a fixed window. Section 4.3.G.4 lets low-lumen holiday decorations stay unshielded and lit all night from November 15 through January 15, after which the county's regular lighting standards apply again.
4. Holiday Decorations. In all lighting zones, low Lumen output holiday decorations may be unshielded and remain on all night from November 15th to January 15th.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
Coconino County's outdoor lighting standards would otherwise require most fixtures to be shielded and to shut off 30 minutes after a business closes, but the Zoning Ordinance carves out a specific seasonal exception for holiday decorations. 4 provides: 'Holiday Decorations. ' That two-month window covers every lighting zone in the unincorporated county, from the dark-sky zones nearest Flagstaff's observatories to the county's more permissive rural zones, and it is the only outdoor lighting the Ordinance lets run unshielded through the night regardless of lumen output.
D, meaning strings of lights left up into late January have to either come down, go dark by curfew, or meet the same shielding and lumen limits as any other outdoor fixture on the property.
Violations & Fines
Holiday lighting left unshielded and lit overnight after January 15, or before November 15, becomes an ordinary lighting violation under Section 5.14.B once the seasonal exemption lapses. The Zoning Inspector can require the display to be shielded, turned off by curfew, or removed, and continuing violations carry fines of up to $750 per day for an individual under Section 5.14.C.4.A.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can I leave my holiday lights up in Coconino County?
Do holiday lights have to be shielded like other outdoor lighting?
Does the holiday lighting exemption apply everywhere in the county?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Coconino County
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