Most larger cities have regulations in place regarding “seasonal and holiday lighting.” San Diego is no different.

In Chapter 14 of San Diego’s General Regulations, specifically in Section 142.0740, it stipulates lighting specifications for both homes and businesses. This includes everything from the specific K color of the lights, the output in lumens and the times at night, by which they may operate.

In the case of San Diego, one of the primary reasons for so much regulation is to deal with light pollution and visibility of the night sky. This is important because of the Mt. Palomar Observatory, which is within the city’s scope of light influence.

Holiday lighting is not supposed to be operated for more than 120 days per the City code.

More regulations can be found in the San Diego County code in Chapter 2, Section 51. Again, the primary emphasis in these codes isn’t the placement of Christmas lights, but rather when they may be operated, in order to prevent light pollution.

There may be other rules concerning keeping temporary lighting mounted to a house for too long, especially since these types of devices are for temporary, short-term use and may not meet electrical codes for long-term service.

Finally, most, if not all HOA’s have local rules, which are far more strict about the aesthetics of Christmas decorations being displayed outside of the holiday season.

So there are likely rules about such things, and in order to enforce the rules, a fine will likely be issued to those who violate them. Like most rules, they’re in place for safety, enjoyment of the environment and surroundings, as well as to improve the aesthetics of the community.

I’ve been hunting for the law that requires this, and I’ve been unable to find it - it shows up in lots of “can you believe” kind of blog posts and articles, but none, even ones from attorneys seems to cite the actual ordinance. I’m going to guess that this comes from one of several laws which exist in many places:
1) limitations on how long temporary lighting fixtures can be in place - this is a safety/electrical code kind of thing. Interpretation of the word “temporary” can vary, and maybe someone, some day in the past, said “2 months is long enough, so come Feb 2, we’re going to assume it’s long enough, unless you have an explanation why”

2) Dark sky laws - San Diego prizes its dark skies, particularly near Palomar Observatory in the north part of San Diego county.

The only way I can imagine this happening is if you live in a neighborhood with an HOA. (Home Owners Association).

When you buy a home in these neighborhoods, you agree to a set of rules set by the HOA. These can include paint colors, types and heights of fences, window treatments, and yes, even outdoor decorations.

HOA’s will usually set up fines for infractions to discourage rule-breaking. So, yes, while it does sound bizarre, in certain neighborhoods, you can be fined for not taking down your Christmas decorations.

Personally, I could never be happy in such a neighborhood. I don’t enjoy being told what to do.

I have never heard of this happening in the USA. Most people get tired of the decorations quickly, but there are songs about leaving your Christmas lights up throughout the year.

The HOA answer may be a possible exception, but definitely not the norm, given most places allow you to decorate as you please with odds and ends such as Christmas decorations. Or if your decorations are becoming a hazard from being left out so long, such as a giant inflatable Snoopy falling into a neighbor's yard or into the road. But in that situation you wouldn't get fined for decorating, you'd get in trouble for causing problems.

Well, this is something new to know. Every home is well lit up and decorated on Christmas. Christmas is a festival, anybody can hardly miss celebrating it.

However, HOA (House Owners Association) can be an exception here. Most of the HOA allows the Christmas decorations on the day which sometimes extends for the entire year. But in some cases, if the Christmas decoration is becoming problematic due to hude decoration left out for so many days or loud christmas music everyday, then HOA may raise a concern.

Decoration with beautiful Christmas candles stands, Christmas tealight holders, Christmas tree, Wine glass & wine stands, have never been a concern.

Online shops like Wayfair, Amazon, Home Decor Box are some of the best places to pick Christmas decor items after checking their specification to ensure an innocuous and wide array of latest Christmas decoration products. Home Decor Box has turned out to be the No.1 decor shop that offers all the high quality candleholders, tealight stands, vase holders, Christmas LED lamps, wall arts, wall clocks, and extremely beautiful wine holders. Browse and choose the best Christmas decor items at discounted rates as Christmas sales are live on Home Decor Box.

No. People should mostly be able to decorate their homes however they want to. I mean, even if they go horribly overdone and tacky, I don’t think a fine is in order. Maybe a quiet word from the neighbors, but maybe not, cause I don’t see how it hurts anyone.

I live in an HOA unfortunately. I probably wouldn’t ever buy in one, but I bought this from my Momma, she made the original decision. I have date restrictions and aesthetic rules about decorations. I am fined $50 for anything out of bounds. I build that $50 into my decorating budget. Most of my neighbors like my style, especially the huge pack of kids.

There actually is no reason why a homeowner can’t leave their Christmas lights up all year long, unless they are violating local municipal ordinances and or HOA regulations. It just boils down to elitism.

“Trashy? Hell no! This is genius! Fetch me another beer and a Spam sandwich there, Elviry!”

Although xmas lights aren't particularly bright relatively, it is likely illegal (just like pregnancy — you can't ask “how pregnant are you?” It is either legal or not— there is no in-between). Lights on vehicles have specific purposes which are often warning lights. Red and blue are for police. Red are for emergency services (fire, medical, police), orange/yellow are highway maintenance or traffic warnings (plows, wide vehicle, tow truck etc). I would suggest that if you are trying to trick out your ride you be very careful on lighting up the roof. Having these lights flashing would only add to your troubles. Be careful, very careful, or you could find your ass behind bars in short order for impersonation of law enforcement personnel.

Q: How long should you leave your lights up after Christmas?

A: In Sweden, Christmas decorations should traditionally be taken down on January 13th. There’s a rhyme about it too, “tjugondedag Knut, då ska julen ut!” (“on the 20th day at Knut, Christmas is out”).

The rhyme says “twentieth day”. But here’s the weird thing: in Scandinavia, Christmas is celebrated on the 24th. So January 13th is actually the 21st day.

In ye olde dayes, the 25th started at sundown, which is ridiculously early in Sweden in winter – like 3 am or even earlier, depending on how far north you were. When the clock and railway was invented, we shifted to changing dates at midnight. But the tradition of starting the celebration at sundown remained.

So Twelfth Night became the the thirteenth day of Christmas here. As a result, January 6th is “trettondedag” or “thirteenth day”, not Twelfth Night, when Christmas traditionally ends.

As Twelfth Night coincided with the name day of Knut, because it was the death day of St Canute Lavard, the traditional saying was that “Knut throws Christmas out” (“Knut driver julen ut”). Knut’s day (not Twelfth night or trettondedag) was the day when you took down all decorations including lights. Since we decorated the tree with gingerbread and candy, taking down the tree was particularly popular among children, and is still called “julgransplundring” – “Christmas tree plunder”. Children used to walk from door to door and ask for candy, “to go Knut”.

In the mid 17th century, the name day of Knut was moved from January 6th to 13th, and the tradition to go Knut followed. It’s not exactly clear why. One theory is that the Lutheran church of Sweden wanted to strengthen the church calendar by adding seven more days of Christmas celebration. Another is that there was a mixup between St Canute Lavard and St Canute IV (Canute Lavard’s uncle). A third theory is that the church wanted to steal all the pagan midwinter festival days.

As a result of the early Christmas celebration and moving the name day of Knut, Sweden, Finland and parts of Norway has eight more days of Christmas than the rest of the world!

I “flip the switch” to on for the first time on Black Friday and they normally stay on until the first weekend after New Years.

This year the last day will be New Years Day for me. During the week, I turn them on at 6:00 pm and turn them off at 10:30 pm. On the weekends I leave them on until 11:00 pm.

The regulations regarding the brightness and potential distraction of Christmas lights can vary depending on local laws and regulations. While I can provide a general perspective, it's important to note that specific rules may differ in different jurisdictions. Therefore, it's advisable to consult local authorities or relevant regulations to obtain accurate and up-to-date information for your specific location.

In many areas, there are regulations in place to ensure that Christmas lights and other decorative lighting installations do not pose hazards or create unnecessary distractions. These regulations aim to maintain public safety and prevent potential disruptions. Some factors that may be considered in such regulations include:

1. Brightness Levels: There might be guidelines or restrictions on the maximum brightness levels allowed for outdoor lights. These limits aim to prevent excessive glare that could potentially affect drivers or neighboring properties.
2. Light Colors and Patterns: Some regulations may specify limitations on the use of certain colors or patterns that could be distracting or confusing for motorists or pedestrians.
3. Timing and Duration: Local regulations may dictate the permissible times for displaying Christmas lights, particularly during late-night hours. This helps prevent disturbances to nearby residents and ensures that the lights are not left on overnight, consuming excessive energy.

It's worth noting that enforcement of these regulations can vary, and local authorities may prioritize education and community cooperation rather than strict penalties. Engaging in open communication with neighbors and being considerate of their concerns regarding bright or distracting lights can also contribute to maintaining harmony within the community.

To ensure compliance and avoid any potential legal issues, it is recommended to review local regulations, consult with local authorities or homeowner associations, and adhere to any guidelines or restrictions that apply to your specific area.

I believe that would be up to your neighborhood association, if one exists. Otherwise, go for it and see what happens. If they’re too bright or distracting then I’m pretty sure someone will complain. I quit putting a lot of outside lights out because it was too much of a hassle trying to keep them intact. At night folks would go by and steal the decorations and break the lights. Now the lights I hang are on the rain gutter in the front of the house and the lights on the two Holly trees. But, Thanksgiving’s on November 23, 2023 so, many folks are going to put their lights out the day after Thanksgiving and many of them will really, really go nuts with the decorations… which is cool to see. The decorations, not the folks going nuts.

MAGA2024!

RJ,

depending on what climate you live in, it can be essential to get your lights installed early. When we lived in Chicago suburbs, if we didn’t get lights up in the first few days of November, it could snow and then no lights could be put up safely.

As others pointed out, it’s your home and no HOA covenants to observe so you can put them up whenever you want.

I got to the point with my installation in Oklahoma that I put it up the first Saturday of November each year. That gave me time(3 weeks) to work on my animation sequences to make sure they looked just right. I didn’t go “lights UP” until Friday after Thanksgiving - but again, that’s just me.

I have a secret belief that the early Christmas Light Lighters serve a purpose of delivering the Christmas Spirit cue for everyone else to “get with it”. :)

It sorta makes sense to get them installed early as you can get a bit better deal if you’re paying someone to do it, once November hits, installers charge full pop and then some.

Depending on your type of lights, or if you put up a dual or triple color - many people use Halloween and Thanksgiving as an excuse to get their lights up early and put some orange and/or purple lights in the mix and when Turkey Day passes, they just don’t turn on the orange anymore - just the white, red, multi’s..whatever your color(s) is.

Christmas Lighting is very subjective in timing and structure so there really are no “rules” to observe. Have fun with it. Merry Christmas.

Too rich, too spoiled, too intrusive with too much time on their hands. No one who is on a budget, working two jobs, well-raised, and busy will have any interest in interfering with his neighbor's lighting schemes. Consider those people who volunteer to serve on an hoa code committee. Do you really want to be one of those people? These people use to be the nosy neighbor pest, but were limited by their binoculars. Now they give out notices or protest on social media. Can you see the American pioneer family complaining about their neighbors' log cabins. Really? Be like Davy Crockett; if you need to complain about how long your neighbor observes Christmas, move to the othe side of a mountain. Better yet move west all the way to the Left Coast. You'll fit right in.

Our pattern is to put them up outside when the weather permits - I.e., a day when it isn’t raining, snowing, or too cold. (That could be in November.) We usually wait until the first week or so in December to actually turn them on. We then light them through January 6th. Again we wait for good weather to actually take them down. We also keep it easy - simply lining the front walkway with lights, also the railing, and then up-lighting shrubbery with colored floodlights. (We don’t put lights anywhere where we need to use a ladder any more!)

For some households, the holiday season for displaying lights is Thanksgiving Day to New Years Day. For others, it is December 6th to January 6th - i.e., St. Nicholas Day to Epiphany (Three Kings Day). We have friends with Nordic heritage who first light their holiday lights on December 13th, St. Lucy’s Day. And some traditions which light with lumenarias do so during Las Posadas, starting on December 17th. There are households who keep their lights until February 2nd. That is the halfway point between winter solstice and spring equinox. It’s also a day in the church known as the Presentation or Candlemas - the last of the commemorations on the calendar tied to the Nativity.

Enjoy your lights - or no lights - whatever traditions you follow.

It is safe to a point. I really wouldn’t advise anyone to leave them up year-round as Christmas lights are affected by the weather. From personal experience we left some colored light strings on our trees until the following season and the rain and other inclement weather basically stripped the color off of the bulbs. The strings still worked but the lights in different sections of the string were no longer blue or green, or red. The other thing that happens is the light string itself starts to fade (like when you leave a plastic toy out in the sun to long. You see this a lot with toddler slides). The green strand takes on a whitish green hue. So, the lights may still work but they may not be as colorful as when you first bought them.