Brentwood, CA Garage & Yard Sales: Frequency Limits (2026)

Brentwood Municipal Code Chapter 5 (and in some cases a dedicated garage-sale section within Chapter 8) limits how often a single residence may hold garage, yard, or estate sales. The common California municipal model, which Brentwood follows, allows up to three or four garage sales per residence per calendar year, each lasting no more than two or three consecutive days (typically Friday through Sunday). Sales hours are generally limited to daylight hours, often 7 or 8 AM through sunset, to limit noise and traffic impact on neighbors. A residence that exceeds these limits is presumed to be engaged in the business of selling and must obtain a Brentwood business license, collect sales tax through a CDTFA seller's permit, and comply with zoning rules that typically prohibit retail from residential property. Estate sales, which liquidate an entire household (often due to a death or move), generally count as one of the allowed sales even though they may involve more merchandise than a typical garage sale. Multi-family or neighborhood-wide garage sales are permitted when each participating residence is within its individual annual limit; some Brentwood HOAs organize community garage-sale weekends that count as one of each household's sales. Repeat or continuous garage sales tend to generate neighbor complaints about parking and noise, which triggers code enforcement review. Penalties for exceeding the frequency limit include administrative citations and required cessation of sales until a business license is obtained (and typically zoning will deny the use).