Lee County, FL Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)
Key Facts
- Display window
- 45 days before to 15 days after the holiday
- Permit required
- None, within the compliant window
- Minimum setback
- 10 feet from all lot boundary lines
- Advertising limit
- Business name only, no product ads
- Sight triangle rule
- Must meet § 34-3131 visibility standard
Summary
Lee County lets homes and businesses put up Christmas and Hanukkah decorations without a sign permit, but only within a fixed window: no more than 45 days before the holiday and no later than 15 days after, and the display must sit back 10 feet from the lot lines.
Christmas and Hanukkah decorations. Signs of a primarily decorative nature, clearly incidental and customary and commonly associated with the Christmas and Hanukkah holidays, may be displayed no more than 45 calendar days prior to and 15 calendar days after the nationally recognized holiday. Christmas and Hanukkah decorations may be of any type (not otherwise prohibited by Section 30-5), provided: 1.The decorations contain no advertising (other than the name of the business); and 2.The decorations are set back a minimum of ten feet from all boundary lines of the lot and provide clear visibility areas in accordance with the requirements of Section 34-3131.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 7 | Land Development Code: Supplement 3 Update 3).
Full Breakdown
Section 30-6(1)g of the Land Development Code exempts Christmas and Hanukkah decorations from the sign permit process as long as they stay within the calendar window the ordinance sets: no more than 45 calendar days before and 15 calendar days after the nationally recognized holiday. The decorations can take almost any form, since the section allows 'any type' of display, but two conditions apply. First, the decorations may contain no advertising other than the name of the business, so a lit display cannot double as a promotional sign for products or services.
Second, the display must be set back at least 10 feet from all boundary lines of the lot and must preserve the clear visibility areas required by Section 34-3131, the intersection sight-triangle standard that keeps corner displays from blocking driver sightlines. The exemption also cross-references Section 30-5, meaning a holiday display cannot use a format the chapter separately prohibits, such as devices that would otherwise be banned regardless of the holiday exception. Because this exemption sits inside Section 30-6(1)'s no-permit list, a compliant Christmas or Hanukkah display doesn't go through the Section 30-54 application, fee or inspection process that governs other signs in the County.
Violations & Fines
A display kept up outside the 45-day-before/15-day-after window, one carrying advertising beyond the business name, or one violating the 10-foot setback or sight-triangle rule loses its exemption and is treated as an unpermitted sign under Section 30-51. Section 30-8 then applies: the Building Official can order correction within 15 days by certified mail, and after that period lapses without an appeal, the County may remove the display and bill the removal cost to the property owner as a lien.
Frequently Asked Questions
How early can I put up Christmas lights in Lee County?
Can my holiday display include my store's name and logo?
How far from my property line does a holiday display need to be in Lee County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lee County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Lee County to another location·View the Florida sign regulations overview
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