South Fulton, GA Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)

Section 705 lists prohibited signs, and subsection (d) targets 'string lights': any sign made of a series, line, or row of lights supported by cables or other means, located within 150 feet of a street right-of-way and visible from it. Ordinarily that ban would sweep in holiday displays, since most yard and roofline lighting sits well within 150 feet of a public street. The ordinance carves out a specific exception: holiday lights and decorations put up by the property owner, or with the owner's permission, for no more than 30 days before or after the calendar holiday are exempt from the string-light prohibition entirely. Outside that 60-day window, the same lights revert to being a prohibited sign under Section 705(d).

The exemption covers only string lights tied to a calendar holiday: it does not extend to other prohibited categories in the same section, such as flashing signs, promotional beacons, or animated signs, which remain barred year-round regardless of any holiday connection. A sign that falls outside the exemption is enforced the same way as any other Article 7 violation: the Community Development and Regulatory Affairs Director issues written notice under Section 710.05, giving 24 hours to 30 days to correct or remove the display before the City removes it at the owner's expense, and each violating sign is treated as a separate offense under Section 710.03.