Holiday Lights in Wildwood, MO: What the City Code Says

Wildwood’s lights debate made news in spring 2024, when the City Council considered a holiday lighting ordinance that residents pushed back on. It didn’t pass. So what rules apply to your holiday lights this season? Fewer than you might think, but there are a couple worth knowing.

This guide is based on the City of Wildwood municipal code as published online in November 2026 (the online code says it includes legislation through February 9, 2026). WildwoodMO.com isn’t affiliated with the city. For an official answer about your property, contact City Hall at 636-458-0440.

The short answer

• There’s no stand-alone holiday lighting ordinance. The 2024 proposal, Bill No. 2869, is listed in the city code’s disposition of legislation as “Did not pass.”
• One holiday clause exists, in the temporary sign rules. It covers December 1 through January 10.
• Light trespass rules apply to everyone, including single-family homes. Don’t aim lights at your neighbor’s windows.
• Apartments and businesses have more lighting rules than single-family homes do.

What happened to the 2024 proposal?

In April 2024 the City Council took up a proposed change to the zoning chapter that would have added rules for holiday lighting. Several residents spoke against it, and part of the discussion involved decorated apartment balconies. We covered it at the time in Wildwood’s Attack on Christmas (an opinion piece).

The city’s online code includes a disposition list of every bill. It shows Bill No. 2869, an amendment to Chapter 415 (Zoning Regulations), as “Did not pass.” As of November 2026, the code’s outdoor lighting section (Section 415.450) still has no holiday-specific rules. Its history note doesn’t list any amendments since it was adopted in 2006.

The December 1 to January 10 holiday clause

Wildwood’s temporary sign rules, Section 415.440, have a seasonal provision. Paraphrasing Section 415.440(D)(2):

• When: during the 40-day period from December 1 to January 10
• Signs: a property owner may place no more than two temporary signs on the property
• Lights: a property owner may use lights that don’t exceed 1,600 lumens as measured at the property line, between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., to decorate the property, “even if the lights might be arranged to form a sign”
• Permits: these signs are exempt from the sign permit requirements of Section 415.400

A note on how to read it: this clause sits in the sign section of the code. Its main purpose seems to be letting decorative lights that spell something out (like “Merry Christmas” or “Happy New Year”) count as an allowed temporary sign. The wording doesn’t clearly say whether the hours and lumen limit cover every holiday display or only lights arranged as a sign. If that matters for your display, ask the city’s Department of Planning through City Hall before you invest in a big setup.

Light trespass rules apply to homes, too

Most of Wildwood’s outdoor lighting code, Section 415.450, doesn’t apply to single-family homes. The code says so in its applicability section. But two parts expressly include single-family dwellings:

• Glare and trespass (415.450(D)(3)). All outdoor lighting, including lighting at single-family homes, must be aimed, located, and maintained so it doesn’t create disabling glare that’s a hazard to drivers or pedestrians, nuisance glare, or prohibited light trespass on neighboring properties.
• Property-line limit (415.450(D)(5)). Light at the property line can’t exceed 0.1 foot-candles on residentially zoned property or 0.5 foot-candles on commercially zoned property, measured in a vertical plane 5 feet above the ground. Street lighting is excluded.

The code defines “light trespass” as light shining beyond the boundaries of the property it’s meant for. In practice, that means keeping spotlights, laser projectors, and floodlights aimed at your own house and yard, not at the neighbors’ bedrooms or into drivers’ eyes on the road.

Apartments, businesses, and other properties

For everything other than single-family homes, the full outdoor lighting code applies. The code doesn’t single out holiday lights, but a few rules are worth knowing (as of November 2026):

Rule	Applies to	Section
Outdoor lighting reviewed by the Architectural Review Board before installation	Non-single-family properties	415.450(D)(4)
Exterior area and building lighting off within one hour after closing; only security lighting after 10:30 p.m.	Non-residential properties	415.450(D)(4)(g)
Light at the property line limited to 0.1 foot-candles (residential zoning) or 0.5 (commercial zoning)	All properties, including homes	415.450(D)(5)

Whether seasonal string lights count as “outdoor lighting” that needs review is a question for the Department of Planning, not this site. If you live in an apartment, your lease or community rules may matter more than the city code for balcony decorations. In a subdivision, your trust indenture or HOA may have its own rules too, and the city doesn’t enforce private covenants.

What happens if there’s a complaint?

Under Section 415.450(M), violating the lighting code is unlawful, and each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense. Fines and other penalties follow Section 415.570, the zoning chapter’s warning, summons, and penalty section.

If a neighbor’s lights are a problem, talking to them first usually works fastest. If it doesn’t, you can contact the city:

• City Hall: 636-458-0440, 16860 Main Street, Wildwood
• Online: the city’s Report an Issue portal

Quick answers

Question	Answer (as of November 2026)
Is there a holiday lighting ordinance?	No stand-alone ordinance; the 2024 bill did not pass
Holiday clause dates	December 1 to January 10 (Section 415.440(D)(2))
Hours mentioned in that clause	8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Sign permit needed for holiday light signs in that window?	No, up to two temporary signs are exempt
Can lights shine onto a neighbor’s property?	Limited to 0.1 foot-candles at a residential property line
Who to call	City Hall, 636-458-0440

Sources

• City of Wildwood Municipal Code (General Code eCode360)
• Wildwood Code, Chapter 415: Zoning Regulations (Sections 415.440 Temporary Signs and 415.450 Outdoor Lighting Requirements)
• Wildwood Code, Section DL.010: Disposition of Legislation (Bill No. 2869)
• City of Wildwood
• City of Wildwood: Report an Issue