Yorba Linda, CA Sign Regulations: Holiday Displays (2026)

Yorba Linda's residential lighting standard in Section 18.10.110.B requires outdoor fixtures to be aimed or shielded so illumination stays on the source property, but the same section carves out three exceptions for holiday and special-event lighting. The first automatically covers seasonal holiday lighting displayed between Thanksgiving Day and January 15th each year, the window built around the winter holiday season, without requiring a separate permit or Director sign-off. The second exception covers other seasonal holidays throughout the year, such as Independence Day or Halloween, allowing up to 14 additional days of qualifying lighting in any calendar year, but only as approved by the Community Development Director rather than automatically.

The third and narrowest exception covers lighting the Planning Commission separately approves as part of a conditional use permit for a property, letting a use with its own CUP carry lighting terms tailored to that approval rather than the standard residential rule. Outside these three windows, holiday or decorative lighting must comply with the general shielding and glare-control requirements in the rest of Section 18.10.110.B, meaning a display left up past January 15th, or an unapproved second holiday display exceeding the 14-day allowance, reverts to the standard rule that illumination must stay within the property line and not spill onto neighboring yards or public streets.

Because the extra 14 days require Director approval rather than applying automatically, residents planning a display outside the Thanksgiving-to-January 15th window should confirm approval with Community Development before installing it.