Beverly Hills merchants can begin installing holiday decorations Nov. 16 under rules the city posted for commercial areas. All displays must come down by Jan. 4, 2027.
The city's guidelines define holiday decorations as window paintings, trees, wreaths, decorative lighting and similar seasonal displays. One key restriction: displays cannot convey commercial advertising.
Decorations mounted on balconies, rooftops or other spots where they could fall, tip or blow over must be securely fastened to the building. The city's Development Services division will review attachment plans for those installations at no charge. Free-standing displays must be weighted or anchored.
No decorations may block building entrances or exits, and nothing can overhang sidewalks or other public rights of way.
Sidewalk work before dawn
Business owners who need to use the city sidewalk to install or remove decorations on private property can do so without a permit, but only between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. A four-foot-wide pedestrian walkway must stay clear at all times, and the sidewalk must be swept clean by 7 a.m.
Electrical safety requirements
All electrical equipment, including lights, extension cords and timers, must carry a UL listing for its intended use. Electrical loads cannot exceed the rated capacity of any cord or receptacle.
The city warns against multi-plug adapters that allow more than one appliance per outlet, citing fire risk from circuit overloads. Extension cords must be rated for hard or extra-hard usage and kept free of splices or damage. Cords should not run through doorways or windows.
Instead, the city recommends permanent Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) outlets mounted on building exteriors. Installing a GFCI outlet requires an electrical permit and inspection.
Building & Safety Division staff can ask owners to fix or remove unsafe decorations, according to the city's notice. Business owners with technical questions can call 310-285-1000.
Rodeo Drive's holiday program on a separate track
The commercial decoration rules apply to individual merchants across Beverly Hills. Rodeo Drive's official holiday décor program operates on a separate, city-funded timeline.
A liaison committee report reviewed by Mayor Corman and Vice Mayor Wells placed the Rodeo Drive décor installation for Nov. 11 through Nov. 15, with a lighting celebration tentatively set for Nov. 19. The city council's Sept. 22 agenda included a purchase order of up to $667,575 to J. Ben Bourgeois Productions Inc. for the Rodeo Drive Holiday Lighting Celebration.
The Rodeo Drive Committee is marking its 50th anniversary this year. The holiday décor features new elements including oversized wreaths, gem-themed ornaments and garland wreath spans crossing over the street. The estimated décor budget totals more than $440,000 for median lighting, platform vignettes and overhead spans, according to the liaison committee's budget breakdown.
Merchants planning their own storefronts should note the distinction: the Nov. 16 start date in the city's commercial rules is separate from Rodeo Drive's official program, which begins installation days earlier under its own contract.
