Abilene, TX Garage & Yard Sales: Frequency, Duration & Permits (2026)

Garage sales are one of the 'All Other Uses With Specific Requirements' the Land Development Code regulates directly, in Sec. 3(27), rather than leaving to a separate licensing chapter. The code frames it as a use 'permitted in residential districts, subject to' several numbered conditions. First, only personal property may be sold: 'It shall be unlawful for any individual to sell or offer for sale, at a garage sale, property other than personal property,' which bars using a yard sale as a storefront for purchased inventory.

' Third, display location is restricted to inside the residence, an accessory building, the rear yard, or the driveway, never a public right-of-way. Fourth, the seller and the property owner or tenant are 'jointly and severally responsible for the maintenance of good order and decorum,' including keeping traffic clear of the street and obeying Police or Fire Department orders. Fifth, no continuous outdoor storage of stock or supplies is allowed on the premises between sales. Because the ordinance sits inside the zoning code rather than a business-license chapter, no permit or city registration is required to hold a qualifying sale, only compliance with these frequency, duration and conduct limits.