Springfield, OH Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)

Springfield's Sign Chapter (1119) generally requires a permit before erecting a sign, but § 1119.03(b) carves out fourteen categories of 'Exempt Signs' that residents and businesses may erect and display anywhere in the city without a city-issued sign permit, unless the Section specifically says otherwise for that category. Item (12) on that exempt list covers 'Seasonal lights and decorations customarily displayed during federally, state, or local recognized holidays,' language that reaches everything from December string lights to Fourth of July bunting without singling out any one holiday.

Unlike other exempt categories, such as item (11) covering decorations on public property, which requires City permission and supervision, the seasonal-lights exemption in (12) carries no separate condition, and the Zoning Code sets no maximum number of days a seasonal display may remain up. That silence means a seasonal light display is not itself a Zoning Code violation regardless of how long it stays lit, so long as it otherwise complies with the Site Lighting standards in Chapter 1118, such as the citywide ban on flashing or fluttering lights in § 1118.03(a)(2), which applies to all outdoor lighting including holiday displays.

If a seasonal display strays into that separately regulated territory, the Community Development Director enforces it under § 1132.01 with a written notice of violation under § 1133.01.