Wicomico County, MD Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)

Wicomico County Code § 225-125 governs 'certain temporary signs' that are permitted without a special exception or sign permit, as long as they meet the standard set out for each type. Subsection D addresses holiday signs directly, stating that displays, including lighting, erected in connection with the observance of holidays are permitted. Unlike neighboring subsections in the same section, which impose specific square-footage caps and display windows, such as the 32-square-foot limit and 10-day removal window for grand-opening banners in Subsection B or the four-month display cap for portable advertisements in Subsection E, the holiday-display provision does not itself set a size limit or a removal deadline; it simply names holiday displays and lighting as an exempt temporary sign category.

That means a homeowner or business in unincorporated Wicomico County can put up holiday lighting and decorative displays without going through the sign-permit process the Building Inspector otherwise requires for permanent signs under § 225-127, so long as the display is genuinely tied to a holiday observance and does not cross into another regulated sign category, such as an illuminated commercial advertisement that would fall under the outdoor advertising rules in § 225-126.