Mendocino County, CA Garage & Yard Sales: Frequency, Duration & Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Annual limit
- 6 days per calendar year
- Consecutive-day cap
- 2 consecutive days per sale
- License required
- No, within definition and limits
- Enforcing office
- Mendocino County Tax Collector
- Governing chapter
- County Code Ch. 6.04, Business License Chapter
Summary
In unincorporated Mendocino County, a yard sale is capped at six days per calendar year and no more than two consecutive days at a time under County Code Section 6.04.030(i). Sales that stay within these limits and sell only household items skip the business-license process entirely.
The term "yard sale" consists of the sale of items normally found within the home. Yard sales shall be conducted no more than six (6) days within a one (1) year period and no more than two (2) consecutive days at any one (1) time.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 75).
Full Breakdown
030(i), part of the county's Business License Chapter, defines a "yard sale" as the sale of items normally found within the home and caps how often a resident can hold one: no more than six days within a one-year period, and no more than two consecutive days at any one time. The definition sits inside the same ordinance (Ord. No. 4200, adopted 2008) that otherwise requires a Mendocino County Business License, issued by the County Tax Collector, before anyone transacts business in the unincorporated area.
090(j) carves yard sales out of that licensing requirement entirely, exempting "any person who operates a yard sale as defined in this Chapter" from the Chapter's requirements. 030(i) definition and frequency cap. 050. Because the exemption is definitional rather than permit-based, the county issues no yard-sale permit and tracks no sale dates; residents self-regulate against the six-day, two-consecutive-day ceiling.
Violations & Fines
The code sets no separate yard-sale penalty. A sale that exceeds six days per year or two consecutive days loses its Section 6.04.090(j) exemption and becomes an unlicensed business under Section 6.04.040, which the Tax Collector enforces by requiring the license fee plus the fifty percent delinquency penalty under Section 6.04.070(d), collectible through County Counsel action if unpaid.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many yard sales can I hold per year in unincorporated Mendocino County?
Do I need a business license for a yard sale?
What happens if I hold a yard sale on a third consecutive day?
Does this rule apply in Ukiah, Fort Bragg, Willits, or Point Arena?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Mendocino County
California rules heatmap·Compare Mendocino County to another location·View the California garage & yard sales overview
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