Washington County, MN Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)

Section 1.8(1) of the Development Code lists four categories of outdoor lighting exempt from the section's shielding, intensity and permitting standards. The first, Section 1.8(1)(A), states that the code 'does not prohibit the use of temporary outdoor lighting used during customary holiday seasons.' That means a homeowner or business stringing seasonal lights is not held to the 0.4 foot-candle property-line limit, the 1.0 foot-candle street limit, or the shielding and hooding requirements that otherwise govern outdoor fixtures under Section 1.8(4). The same subsection also exempts temporary lighting for civic celebrations and promotions (Section 1.8(1)(B)), airport lighting required for safe aircraft operation (Section 1.8(1)(C)), and emergency lighting used by police, fire and rescue authorities (Section 1.8(1)(D)).

The Development Code does not define 'customary holiday seasons' or set a maximum display duration, and it does not require a lighting permit for these temporary displays. Even so, the county's separate prohibitions on flashing lights and search lights used between 11:00 PM and sunrise, found in Section 1.8(5), are written without a holiday carve-out, so a strobing or search-light-style seasonal display could still draw scrutiny under those provisions. The exemption sits inside Chapter Two, effective June 5, 2018.