Union, NY Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)

Chapter 300 is the Consolidated Zoning Ordinance of the Town of Union, Village of Johnson City, and Village of Endicott, adopted by the Town Board, and § 300-10.4 applies it within the corporate limits of all three. A homeowner in the Town of Union outside the Villages of Endicott and Johnson City reads the same text as a resident of either village.

Signs. Section 300-52.3 lists the signs that can be erected in the Town and Villages without obtaining a permit, and subsection F covers holiday decorations not displaying a commercial message. The waiver carries a condition: the decoration still has to conform to the height, setback and size requirements in the chapter. A display that carries a store name, sale price or other commercial message is outside subsection F. Section 300-52.5(G) bans flashing, rotating and revolving signs and lights but carves out barber poles and holiday decorations, provided they do not violate subsections C, D or E. Those subsections bar obscene signs, signs that emit audible sounds, odor or visible matter, and signs that can be confused with a traffic control sign or an emergency vehicle light.

Lighting. Article 55 requires outdoor fixtures to be shielded or contained on the property they come from (§ 300-55.4(A)) and requires lighting, except as required for security, to be extinguished during nonoperating hours (§ 300-55.4(C)). Section 300-55.6 exempts holiday lighting from that regulation unless otherwise specified. Section 300-55.7 separately prohibits blinking, flashing, strobe or search lights. The code does not state how § 300-55.7 and the holiday exemption fit together for a blinking string of lights, so ask the Code Enforcement Office before you install one.

Duration. None of the sections quoted here sets a number of days, a start date or a removal date for holiday decorations or holiday lighting. The nearby time limits apply to other sign types, such as construction signs, which come down five days after construction is completed or a permanent sign is placed.