Deck the Halls and Check the Rules
In December 2025, a 30-foot inflatable Santa became the center of a neighborhood dispute in Severance, Colorado. As Denver7 reported, a homeowner received a notice directing her to remove the display under an HOA rule about excessive decorations. Management later reversed course, allowing Santa to stay through Christmas.
The story raises familiar seasonal questions. How big is too big? How early can decorations go up, and when should they come down?
For Colorado homeowners, the answers often involve both association rules and local ordinances. Knowing where to look can help you enjoy the season and understand your responsibilities.
Always check the rules before decorating
Before bringing out the inflatables or hanging lights, review your association’s declaration, rules and architectural guidelines. Colorado’s 2025 guide to governing documents explains how association rules provide detail about the broader standards and restrictions in the declaration.
Look for specific requirements covering the size and placement of decorations, along with any approval process. Check your community’s permitted decorating dates and removal deadlines.
Some displays also have specific legal protections. Colorado law protects noncommercial flags and signs in specified locations, subject to reasonable, content-neutral restrictions. It also protects certain religious items or symbols on entry doors and door frames, subject to size, safety and other statutory exceptions. Ask your board or management company how these protections apply to your proposed display.
If you cannot find an answer, ask the board or management company to identify the applicable rule. Describe what you plan to install, where it will go and how long it will remain. Planning permanent roofline lighting? Ask whether an architectural application is required before scheduling installation.
Colorado weather can complicate taking decorations down. If ice or snow makes removing decorations unsafe, contact management promptly to explain the situation and request an extension. Get any approved adjustment in writing.
Consider how lights and sound reach your neighbors
A display’s effects can extend beyond the yard. Think about lights shining into nearby bedrooms, flashing projectors and music that repeats throughout the evening. Inflatable blowers are worth considering, too. Review your association’s lighting and nuisance provisions, then check the local requirements for your address.
For example, Denver’s Noise Program addresses ongoing or recurring sound crossing between properties. The city lists typical residential limits of 55 dB(A) from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and 50 dB(A) overnight, with exceptions and requirements that vary by circumstance. These limits can matter when planning a display with sound.
Lighting rules can be equally specific. For example, the Town of Superior’s 2026 outdoor lighting ordinance generally requires covered nonessential lighting to turn off at 9 p.m. It includes an exemption for temporary lighting displayed November 15 through January 15 when each individual lamp produces 70 lumens or less. Separate provisions address existing fixtures. Superior residents can contact the town’s Planning Department for help understanding how those requirements apply.
These are local examples. Check your own city or county’s rules, along with your association’s requirements. A timer, adjusted projector angle or lower volume can also help keep a display enjoyable for nearby households.
If a neighbor’s display is disrupting your sleep, consider a friendly conversation when you feel comfortable doing so. Explain the specific issue and suggest an adjustment. For continuing concerns, contact management about association rules or the appropriate local department about municipal requirements.
Know which spaces you can decorate
A front entrance, balcony or patch of lawn may be subject to different rules depending on how the property is classified. A condominium balcony, for example, may be a limited common element with restrictions on its use.
Before decorating a shared tree or building entrance, ask the board or management company for permission and installation requirements. Confirm whether you may use a common-area outlet and how decorations should be attached.
Keep walkways and entrances clear, and route cords to prevent tripping hazards. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission also advises against overloading electrical outlets.
Start with a conversation
Boards and management companies can help the season go smoothly by communicating early. Share a friendly reminder of decorating guidelines before the holidays, including where homeowners can find the full policy and whom to contact with questions.
When a display raises a concern, reach out privately and respectfully. Identify the specific rule, explain what needs to change and give the homeowner an opportunity to respond. They may have misunderstood a deadline or need help understanding how the rule applies. A clear explanation and a courteous request can give everyone a useful starting point.
Be open to practical solutions. Could a timer address the lighting concern? Would repositioning a speaker or inflatable resolve the issue? Where the board has discretion, consider a reasonable extension for a homeowner who needs time to arrange help. Listen to the circumstances and work toward a clear, achievable next step.
Follow applicable law and the association’s enforcement policy throughout the process. Document any agreed adjustments and give homeowners in similar circumstances the same consideration. A homeowner should come away understanding what is expected, when to address it and whom to contact if they need help.
Visit CAI-RMC’s homeowner resources for more information about understanding your association and getting involved.
