Chicago, IL Garage & Yard Sales: Frequency, Duration & Permits (2026)

Under MCC § 10-8-402, anyone conducting a garage, basement, house, yard, or rummage sale on residentially zoned or used premises must first get an occasional-sale permit from the Department of Streets and Sanitation, displayed prominently on-site. Per § 10-8-403, a sale runs at most three consecutive days, 9:00 a.m. to sunset, and no more than two occasional sales are allowed on the same premises per calendar year, a third is allowed only if the permit applicant is moving out. Rain pushes the sale to the following three-day window without extending the total. Section 10-8-404 requires sale signs to stay on the premises and come down by 9:00 p.m. on the permit's last day, and § 10-8-405 confines displayed merchandise to inside the garage, backyard, or side driveway, nothing past the property line. Bulk resale merchandise brought in from elsewhere is barred under § 10-8-401.