Southampton, NY Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Southampton Town Code § 330-207D
- Default rule
- Building outline lighting banned year round
- Holiday exception
- Allowed during the winter holiday season
- General display cutoff
- Illuminated signs off by 11:00 p.m.
- Enforcement
- Building Inspector, 30-day cure notice
- Max penalty
- Up to $2,500 fine, repeat offenses
Summary
In the Town of Southampton outside the villages, outlining a building's roof, gable, window or wall with lighting is banned year round under Town Code § 330-207D, but the sign code carves out an exception during the winter holiday season, letting holiday building displays go up without violating the illuminated-sign rules.
§ 330-207. Illuminated signs. ... C. Display times. All permitted illuminated signs, whether exterior or interior, shall be extinguished by 11:00 p.m. or when the commercial use or activity to which they relate closes, whichever is later. D. Building illumination. Although not an illuminated sign, the outlining by direct or indirect illumination of all or part of a building, such as a gable, roof, window, wall, side or corner, shall, consistent with the purposes and intent of this article, be prohibited, except during the winter holiday season.
Full Breakdown
Section 330-207 governs all illuminated signs in the unincorporated Town. Exterior signs lit externally must use steady, stationary, shielded white light directed down onto the sign, capped at 60 watts per fixture (or 60 watts per fixture with at least four feet of spacing when multiple fixtures are used); internally lit exterior signs are limited to Highway Business districts. Subsection C sets a display-times rule for every permitted illuminated sign: it must be extinguished by 11:00 p.m. or when the related business closes, whichever is later.
Subsection D then addresses building outline lighting, the kind used for holiday displays: outlining all or part of a building, such as a gable, roof, window, wall, side or corner, with direct or indirect illumination is prohibited as inconsistent with the article's purpose, except during the winter holiday season, when that outline lighting is allowed. The code does not fix specific holiday dates, so the exception runs for the customary winter holiday season rather than a numbered day count. Signs and their lighting still need a Building Department permit under § 330-208, and holiday lighting exempted from the Town's separate outdoor lighting article at Chapter 330, § 330-343A(3) is defined at § 330-341 as temporary lighting installed for a holiday or religious observance and removed thereafter.
Violations & Fines
Section 330-208D makes any violation of the sign article, including unauthorized building-outline lighting outside the winter holiday exception, correctable by a stop-work order, injunction, or removal notice from the Building Inspector, Fire Marshal or a Code Enforcement Officer, who must first give the owner 30 days to remove or fix an illegal sign. Persons found guilty after that notice period face the fine and imprisonment schedule in § 330-186, up to $2,500 or six months in jail for repeat offenses within five years.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I outline my house or business with holiday lights in the Town of Southampton?
Does holiday lighting need a sign permit in Southampton?
Is there a fixed date range for the Southampton holiday lighting exception?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Southampton
New York rules heatmap·Compare Southampton to another location·View the New York sign regulations overview
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Holiday Displays in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Suffolk County handle holiday displays.