Columbia, SC Garage & Yard Sales: Frequency, Duration & Permits (2026)

Chapter 11, Article VIII, Division 2 governs garage sales, defined in section 11-311 as the sale of new or used personal property conducted at or near a private residence, or in any zoning area permitting single-family residential use, by a neighborhood resident who must be the occupant of the premises, with the sale open to the public. 50. The permit is capped at a maximum of two consecutive days, not including Sunday, and no family unit, location, lot or premises may receive more than two permits in a calendar year.

Every participant in a joint sale must be named on the permit itself. and bars Sunday sales outright, reinforcing the two-consecutive-day, no-Sunday structure of the permit. Section 11-313 requires parking be provided in a manner that does not disrupt the free flow of traffic on a nearby public street. Section 11-314 bars purchasing or bringing in new or used merchandise specifically for resale at a permitted sale, keeping the exemption limited to genuine household disposal rather than informal retail. Section 11-315 limits advertising signage to one non-illuminated sign of no more than two square feet, placed only on the property where the sale is held, and section 11-317 bans public address systems at garage sales entirely.