Tallahassee, FL Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required
- None, exempt under LDC § 7-32(7)
- Display duration
- No limit stated in the code
- Size limit
- None specified for holiday lights
- Still applies
- Electrical code and § 7-81 prohibited-sign rules
- Enforcement
- Growth management department, § 7-104
Summary
Tallahassee exempts holiday lights and decorations from its sign permitting system outright. Land Development Code § 7-32(7) places them in the same no-permit category as memorial plaques and small window signs, and the code sets no minimum or maximum display period for them.
Except as otherwise provided, the following on-site signs are exempt from the permitting provisions of this article and may be erected without securing a permit, subject, however, to meeting all other applicable codes and regulations: ... (7)Holiday lights and decorations.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Land Development Code: Supplement 75 | Code of Ordinances: Supplement 75).
Full Breakdown
Section 7-32's opening clause exempts a list of on-site signs from the permitting provisions of Article II (the permit, application, fee, and duration rules in §§ 7-31 through 7-40), and item (7) names "holiday lights and decorations" without qualification. That stands in contrast to item (6) of the same section, which exempts decorative flags and banners for city-sponsored celebrations only "for a prescribed period of time" set by the city manager, in accordance with standards approved by the city commission. Holiday lights carry no comparable durational limit, no size cap, and no requirement to register with the growth management department.
The exemption is still bounded by the section's own preamble, which conditions every exempt sign on "meeting all other applicable codes and regulations," so a display still has to satisfy building and electrical code requirements for exterior wiring. It also doesn't excuse a display from Chapter 7's separate prohibited-sign list in § 7-81, which bars animated signs, signs producing glare that is a hazard to motorists, and signs obstructing the view of a traffic control device at an intersection.
Violations & Fines
A holiday display itself carries no permit violation because it is exempt, but if it crosses into a category barred by § 7-81, such as an animated or traffic-obstructing display, the growth management department can treat it as a prohibited sign and order its removal under § 7-104(b)(6), giving the owner written notice and 30 days to comply before the department removes it at the owner's expense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a city permit for Christmas lights in Tallahassee?
Is there a deadline for taking down holiday lights in Tallahassee?
Could a holiday display still get cited even though it's exempt from a permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tallahassee
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