Warren, MI Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)

Sec. 34-62 requires anyone who wants to erect a temporary holiday sidewalk display to contact the city's engineering division for a permit before setting it up. The engineering division reviews the proposed display for public safety concerns, specifically trip hazards or exposed wiring hazards, and it is the division's determination that governs whether the display can proceed. Once issued, the permit is valid for 30 days, covering the core of a holiday season, and the permit holder can apply once for a three-week extension by contacting the engineering division again rather than starting a new application from scratch.

The ordinance singles out fees for full waiver: all fees and costs associated with a temporary holiday sidewalk display permit are waived, so the permit process is free even though it is still mandatory. This sits within Article III, Division 1 of Chapter 34's sidewalk rules, alongside the general Sec. 34-52 permit for sidewalk and driveway construction and the Sec. 34-53 ban on obstructing a sidewalk, meaning a holiday display that blocks pedestrian passage or creates a hazard can still run afoul of those separate obstruction and safety provisions even with a valid holiday display permit in hand.