Clay, NY Garage & Yard Sales: Frequency, Duration & Permits (2026)

Section 230-20F(1), added by Local Law No. 3-2017, permits a patio, backyard, garage or estate sale from a residential property principally used as a residence, subject to conditions enforced by the Code Enforcement Department. Only used property owned exclusively by the owner, tenant or occupant may be sold, new goods cannot be sold at these sales, and the seller must be able to prove title to the goods on request from a Code Enforcement representative. No sign, billboard, placard or other advertisement may be placed on public property except under the temporary sign standards of Section 230-22C(3).

Sale hours run no earlier than 8:00 a.m. and must conclude by 6:00 p.m. each day. The frequency limit in Section 230-20F(1)(d) caps these sales at four per calendar year for a given property. Goods cannot be placed or displayed in the front yard of a corner lot, or in a corner lot's side yard, unless that side yard is screened from the public right-of-way to the maximum permitted height; the section defines front yard as the full width of the lot between the public right-of-way and the front building line of the main house, so as to keep merchandise from being displayed in the open between a residence and the street.