Queen Anne's County, MD Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)

The holiday rule is paragraph (p) of § 18:1-81A(2), the list of signs allowed without a permit. It covers displays, including lighting, erected in connection with the observance of County, state, or federally recognized holidays. The one condition printed in the paragraph is the removal deadline: the display must be removed within 10 days following the holiday. The paragraph sets no earliest start date, so the printed limit applies only at the back end of the display.

The list's lead-in says every listed sign is allowed subject to the restrictions under that subsection, and the rest of the section stays in force beside it. Section 18:1-81A(4) bars flashing, fluttering, undulating, swinging, rotating, or otherwise moving signs, pennants, or other decorations, with exceptions for time and temperature signs and other permitted electronic signs. Section 18:1-81A(5) says a sign cannot obstruct a clear view of traffic along any street right-of-way, entrance, or exit, and § 18:1-81A(6) keeps signs other than those of a governing body out of road right-of-way lines.

The exterior lighting article is separate. Section 18:1-85E(1) provides that flickering or flashing lights may not be permitted, and § 18:1-85C(3) sets a limit of 0.25 footcandle above background light levels at the property line for exterior lighting.

Paragraph (p) names only County, state, and federally recognized holidays. A display tied to anything else that counts as a sign falls under the general rule in § 18:1-81A(1) that a person cannot erect a sign without first obtaining a sign permit under Part 7 of Chapter 18:1.

The rule covers unincorporated Queen Anne's County, including Kent Island, Stevensville, Chester and Grasonville. Centreville, Queenstown and the other incorporated towns apply their own codes.