Paulding County, GA Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)

Section 67-17 of the sign ordinance prohibits, among other things, "signs consisting in whole or in part of a series, line, or row of lights, whether supported by cables or other physical means, within 150 feet of a street and visible from a street." That rule targets strand-lighting used as advertising, the kind of light rope some businesses hang along a roofline or fence to draw attention from the road. Without an exemption, decorative string lights near a street would count as a prohibited sign under this paragraph.

The ordinance carves out exactly one exception, written into the same paragraph: "holiday lights and decorations displayed not more than 30 days before no 30 days after a holiday shall be exempted from this section." That gives residents and businesses a roughly 60-day window bracketing any recognized holiday during which string lighting near a street right-of-way is lawful regardless of the 150-foot rule. Outside that window, the same display reverts to a prohibited sign under § 67-17(3). The exemption applies to "holiday lights and decorations" broadly; it does not extend the prohibited-sign list's other bans, so a holiday display still cannot include flashing beacons, search lights, or other separately prohibited devices under § 67-17(4). The Community Development Department, aided by the Marshal's Office, enforces the chapter under §§ 67-5 and 67-18.