Anne Arundel County, MD Garage & Yard Sales: Frequency, Duration & Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required
- None
- Governing provision
- County Code § 11-12A-101(a)
- Exempt from
- Second-hand dealer license ($250 fee)
- Applies in
- Unincorporated county, incl. Glen Burnie
- Does not apply in
- Annapolis, Highland Beach
Summary
Anne Arundel County requires no permit or license for a garage or yard sale. County Code § 11-12A-101(a) expressly excludes garage and yard sales from the second-hand dealer license law that otherwise governs resale activity countywide.
In this title, "second-hand dealer" means a person who acquires commercially from the public and trades commercially with the public in tangible personal property, but the term does not include a pawnbroker; a business that deals primarily with the purchase and sale of antiques; a charitable organization that accepts only donations; garage or yard sales; the purchase on consignment of second-hand clothing, furniture, books, or baby accessories and toys; ... or auctions, estate sales, conventions, or trade shows.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-93: County Code is current through May, 2026).
Full Breakdown
The county's second-hand dealer license law requires a Department-issued license (fee $250 for the first individual, $50 for each additional) for anyone who "acquires commercially from the public and trades commercially with the public in tangible personal property." § 11-12A-101(a) then lists exclusions from that definition, and "garage or yard sales" is one of them, alongside pawnbrokers, antique dealers, charitable-donation sales, and auctions or estate sales. Because this is the county's general licensing scheme for resale activity, and it expressly carves out garage and yard sales, no separate garage sale permit exists here. The rule applies countywide, including unincorporated communities such as Glen Burnie, Severna Park, Pasadena, Odenton, and Crofton, which have no government of their own and are governed directly by this code. It does not apply within Annapolis or Highland Beach, which are separately incorporated with their own codes.
Violations & Fines
No permit is required, so there is no violation for holding an unpermitted garage sale. A resale operation run continuously or repeatedly as a business, rather than an occasional household sale, can fall outside the exclusion and require a second-hand dealer license instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit for a garage sale in Anne Arundel County?
Does this apply in Glen Burnie or Severna Park?
Does this apply in Annapolis?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Anne Arundel County
Compare Anne Arundel County to another location·View the Maryland garage & yard sales overview
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