Pico Rivera, CA Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)
Key Facts
- Total display window
- 45 days
- Before the holiday
- 15 days
- After the holiday
- 30 days
- Removal deadline
- By the 31st day after
- Governing section
- IPMC § 604.3, PRMC § 15.60.020
Summary
In the City of Pico Rivera, holiday and seasonal lighting displays are allowed on a temporary basis for 45 days total, running 15 days before the holiday or event through 30 days after, under the city's amended Property Maintenance Code. Lights left up past day 31 after the holiday count as an electrical hazard violation.
Section 604.3 of the International Property Maintenance Code is amended to read as follows: 604.3 Electrical system hazards. Where it is found that the electrical system in a structure constitutes a hazard to the occupants or the structure by reason of inadequate service ... the code official shall require the defects to be corrected to eliminate the hazard. Displays and decorative features associated with holidays and seasonal or celebratory events are allowed on a temporary basis. Holiday displays and decorative features with electrically supplied lights, displays, and equipment are allowed for a forty-five (45) day period where the forty-five (45) day period is considered as fifteen (15) days before, and thirty (30) days after the holiday or event. Removal of lighting and temporary or holiday displays shall be no later than the thirty-first (31st) day following the holiday or event. Failure to meet compliance is considered an electrical system hazard and shall subject the property owner to violations and fines pursuant to the Pico Rivera Municipal Code.
Full Breakdown
Municipal Code Chapter 15.60's amended Section 604.3, Electrical System Hazards, addresses electrically supplied holiday and seasonal decorations within the code's broader rule that electrical systems constituting a hazard must be corrected by the code official. The section specifically allows displays and decorative features tied to holidays or celebratory events on a temporary basis, capping electrically supplied lights, displays and equipment at a 45-day window: 15 days before and 30 days after the holiday or event. Removal is required no later than the 31st day following the holiday or event.
The code treats a display left up past that deadline as an electrical system hazard in its own right, not merely an aesthetic problem, which triggers the same correction authority the code official uses for other wiring and overcurrent hazards, such as inadequate service, improper overcurrent devices, or improper use of extension cords as permanent wiring. The section states directly that failing to meet this compliance window subjects the property owner to violations and fines under the Pico Rivera Municipal Code, tying the display timeline to the property maintenance code's broader unsafe-condition and placarding enforcement rather than the sign code.
Violations & Fines
Section 604.3 states that leaving holiday lighting up past the 45-day/31-day compliance window is treated as an electrical system hazard and subjects the property owner to violations and fines under the municipal code; absent a chapter-specific fine, this is enforced under the general penalty at Section 1.20.010, a misdemeanor with up to a $1,000 fine and six months in jail, or a tiered infraction of $100/$200/$500 for repeat violations.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can holiday lights stay up in Pico Rivera?
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pico Rivera
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