Camarillo, CA Garage & Yard Sales: Frequency, Duration & Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Sales allowed
- 2 per business tax year
- Governing section
- Municipal Code Sec. 5.04.080(I)
- Eligible seller
- Natural person, own personal property only
- Over the limit
- Must get a business tax certificate
- Enforcement
- City business tax officer
- Appeal deadline
- 90 days to Superior Court
Summary
Camarillo caps garage and yard sales at two per business tax year for any resident selling only their own personal property. Go over that limit and the city treats the activity as a business requiring a business tax certificate and payment of the business tax.
I. Garage Sales. The provisions of this chapter shall not require obtaining a business tax certificate or payment of a tax from any natural person engaged in conducting garage sales or yard sales for which all property to be sold is a person's own personal property and has not been acquired or consigned or crafted for the purpose of resale, or for the benefit of other than the occupants of the premises, provided that such garage sales or yard sales do not exceed two in number in any business tax year.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 27 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
080(I) exempts garage sales and yard sales from the city's business tax certificate and tax requirements, but only under specific conditions. The seller must be a natural person, the property sold must be the seller's own personal property that was not acquired, consigned, or crafted for resale, and the sale must benefit only the occupants of the premises rather than any outside party. Critically, the exemption caps the activity at no more than two garage or yard sales in any business tax year. 170(A), so the two-sale cap resets on that recurring anniversary date rather than the calendar year.
04, the same framework that applies to any other business operating in the city. The chapter's other exemptions in the same section cover different situations entirely: minors, disabled veterans, and adults sixty-five or older with gross receipts under $2,500 a year (subsection H), and nonprofit or charitable fundraising activity (subsections D and E), none of which extend the garage-sale count. Enforcement of Title 5, including this section, falls to the city's business tax officer, a position created under the code specifically to enforce Title 5 and authorized to issue citations for infractions or misdemeanors arising under it.
Violations & Fines
Exceeding the two-sale-per-business-tax-year limit, or selling resale/consigned/crafted merchandise instead of personal property, forfeits the exemption and triggers the requirement to obtain a business tax certificate and pay the applicable business tax like any other business. The city's business tax officer, created to enforce Title 5, is authorized to issue citations for violations classified as infractions or misdemeanors. A person aggrieved by a director's decision on a business tax certificate can appeal to the city manager by filing a notice of appeal with the city clerk along with the council-set administrative fee, per Section 5.04.120, and may ultimately seek review in Ventura County Superior Court under Code of Civil Procedure Section 1094.5 within ninety days of the city manager's written decision.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many garage sales can I hold per year in Camarillo without a business license?
What happens if I hold a third garage sale in the same year?
Does the two-sale limit reset on January 1st?
Can I sell items that aren't mine at my garage sale under this exemption?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Camarillo
California rules heatmap·Compare Camarillo to another location·View the California garage & yard sales overview
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