Columbia, MO Garage & Yard Sales: Frequency, Duration & Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Limit
- 2 sales per dwelling per year
- Duration
- 3 days maximum
- Hours
- no sales 8pm–7am
- Exception
- moving resident or estate heir
- Applies
- Columbia, Boone County, MO
Summary
Columbia, Missouri caps residential garage sales at two per dwelling per calendar year, three days each, and bars sales between 8:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. under the city licensing code.
(c) Garage sales.(1)No more than two (2) garage sales may be conducted at any dwelling in a calendar year. However, a third garage sale may be conducted at a dwelling if the sale is conducted by a resident who is moving from the dwelling or by the estate or heir of a person who died while living at the dwelling....(3)No garage sale shall be conducted between 8:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. No garage sale shall last for more than three (3) days.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 138).
Full Breakdown
Under Sec. 13-20(c) of the general licensing ordinance, no dwelling in Columbia, Missouri may host more than two garage sales in a calendar year, though a third is allowed if the seller is moving out or is the estate or heir of a resident who died at the address. Nonresidential uses located in a residential zoning district get the same two-sale cap. Each sale is limited to three consecutive days and cannot run between 8:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Food service at a sale needs a separate health department permit, and items bought specifically for resale cannot be sold as garage sale merchandise.
Violations & Fines
Advertising, conducting, or permitting a garage sale that violates these limits is a misdemeanor under Sec. 13-32: up to a $1,000 fine, up to 30 days in jail, or both, and each day continued is a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have a garage sale every weekend in Columbia?
Is a third garage sale ever allowed?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Columbia
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