Bristol, PA Garage & Yard Sales: Frequency Limits (2026)

Garage sale frequency is regulated at the municipal level across Bucks County. Standard limits across most Bucks townships and boroughs allow 2-4 garage sales per household per calendar year, with each sale lasting 2-3 consecutive days. Common patterns: Doylestown Township and Newtown Township allow 2 sales per calendar year of up to 3 days each; Bensalem Township, Middletown Township and most lower Bucks municipalities allow 3-4 sales per year; borough codes in Doylestown, Bristol, Newtown, New Hope, Yardley, Perkasie, and Quakertown typically cap at 2-3 sales per year. These limits aim to prevent residential properties from operating as ongoing commercial activity, which would require home business zoning approval, PA sales tax license, and business privilege license. Multi-family community or neighborhood-wide sales (sometimes called 'citywide' or 'development-wide' sales) are typically treated as a single event for each participating household — popular examples include the annual Yardley Borough community-wide yard sale, Newtown Grant community sale, and Village Shires development sales, which are coordinated through HOAs or borough governments. Church, school, and nonprofit sales are typically exempt from household limits but may require separate special event permits. Exceeding frequency limits may result in: initial warning; citation $50-$200; escalation to home business zoning investigation; potential requirement to obtain home occupation permit with customer traffic and signage restrictions; and PA Department of Revenue contact regarding unreported sales tax.