Palmdale, CA Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)
Key Facts
- Display duration limit
- 90 consecutive calendar days
- Governing section
- PMC § 8.36.050(G)(2)
- Correction period
- Up to 30 days after formal notice
- Hearing request deadline
- 20 calendar days from notice
- Lien recorded
- 10 days after unpaid cost statement
- Repeat violation penalty
- Treble abatement costs within 2 years
Summary
Palmdale caps seasonal and holiday lights, decorations, and displays at 90 consecutive calendar days on any property's exterior. Municipal Code Section 8.36.050(G)(2) classifies displays left up longer, or lights that become unmaintained, unsecured, unsightly, or obscene, as a public nuisance. Code Enforcement can order removal, and owners who ignore a formal notice face abatement, recorded liens, and triple costs on a second violation.
Excessive individual ornamentation or architectural elements not in keeping with the overall character of a neighborhood, seasonal or holiday lights, decorations, or displays that are erected, installed, or maintained on exterior portions of real property over 90 consecutive calendar days, or seasonal or holiday lights, decorations, or displays that are unmaintained, unsecured, and/or unsightly, and/or obscene.
Full Breakdown
Section 8.36.050(G)(2) of the Palmdale Municipal Code lists holiday lighting displays among the conditions constituting a nuisance under Chapter 8.36, Regulation of Property Maintenance. The rule reaches two distinct problems: displays that stay up past the 90-day cap, and displays of any age that are unmaintained, unsecured, unsightly, or obscene. Either condition converts the display into a substandard-property violation under Section 8.36.070, subject to the chapter's full abatement machinery.
Enforcement starts informally: the Enforcement Officer may post information on the property under Section 8.36.090. If the condition persists, Section 8.36.100 authorizes a formal written notice giving the owner up to 30 days, or another period the Enforcement Officer sets, to take the lights or decorations down. The owner may contest the determination by filing a hearing request with the City Clerk's office at 38300 Sierra Highway within 20 calendar days of the notice, per Section 8.36.140; skipping that window waives the right to a hearing and makes the notice final. A Hearing Officer appointed by the City Manager conducts the hearing within 60 days and must issue a written decision within 14 business days of the close of the hearing, per Sections 8.36.150 through 8.36.170.
If the owner still does not comply, Section 8.36.180 lets the City Manager abate the nuisance using City forces or a private contractor, and Section 8.36.200 bills the owner for the City's actual abatement costs, staff time, and attorneys' fees. Unpaid costs become a lien recorded with the Los Angeles County Recorder ten days after notice under Section 8.36.220, or a special assessment on the property. A second violation within two years can draw treble costs under Section 8.36.230, pursuant to Government Code Section 38773.7.
Violations & Fines
A first notice and order to abate gives the owner up to 30 days to remove noncompliant holiday displays. Missing the 20-day window to request a hearing waives the right to contest and makes the order final. Continued noncompliance lets the City abate the nuisance itself and bill the owner for costs, plus attorneys' fees; unpaid bills become a recorded lien, and a second violation within two years can triple the abatement cost under Government Code Section 38773.7.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can holiday lights stay up in Palmdale?
What happens if I ignore Palmdale's notice to remove my display?
Can I appeal a Palmdale nuisance notice over holiday decorations?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Palmdale
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