Benton County, WA Garage & Yard Sales: Frequency, Duration & Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Max duration
- 3 consecutive days per sale
- Max frequency
- 2 sales per calendar year
- Applies to
- Unincorporated Benton County only
- Governing section
- BCC 11.06.040(b)
- First violation penalty
- Up to $500 civil infraction
- Second violation
- Misdemeanor charge
Summary
In unincorporated Benton County, a yard sale is only an allowed accessory use if it stays short and infrequent: no more than three consecutive days, and no more than two separate sales on the same parcel in a calendar year. The cap comes from the county zoning code's Community Center Residential (CCR) District accessory-use list, BCC 11.06.040(b), and the identical three-day, twice-a-year formula repeats across the county's other residential zoning districts.
(b) Yard Sales occurring for no more than three (3) consecutive days on two (2) different occasions during a calendar year.
Full Breakdown
040(b), adopted by Ord. 611 (2018) Section 15). No separate permit is listed for the use; it simply has to fit inside that duration and frequency box alongside the district's other by-right accessory uses, such as private kennels and minor solar power generator facilities. Because this is a Washington county code, it reaches unincorporated Benton County only; Kennewick, Richland, West Richland and Prosser each adopt and enforce their own municipal codes for garage and yard sales, so a resident inside city limits must check that city's rules instead.
010(a)); the Sheriff has concurrent authority over related provisions. 030). A resident who exceeds the CCR limit, holding a fourth sale in a year or running one past three days, has taken the activity outside the accessory-use listing entirely, exposing the parcel to a code violation rather than a permitted use.
Violations & Fines
A yard sale that runs longer than three consecutive days or that is a parcel's third sale of the calendar year falls outside BCC 11.06.040(b)'s accessory-use allowance. Benton County's Planning Administrator or Building Official enforces Title 11 (BCC 11.43.010); a first violation of any zoning provision is a civil infraction carrying a penalty up to $500 plus court costs and restitution (BCC 11.43.170(a)), and a second violation of the same provision is a misdemeanor (BCC 11.43.170(b)).
Frequently Asked Questions
How many yard sales can I hold per year in unincorporated Benton County?
Does the county's yard sale limit apply inside Kennewick or Richland?
What happens if I run a yard sale for four days?
Do I need a permit to hold a yard sale in the CCR District?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Benton County
Compare Benton County to another location·View the Washington garage & yard sales overview
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