Decatur, GA Garage & Yard Sales: Frequency, Duration & Permits (2026)

Section 22-1 of the Decatur Code of Ordinances makes it unlawful to hold a rummage, garage, carport, outdoor auction of personal property, or similar sale anywhere in the city without first getting a permit from the city manager or the city manager's designated representative for that specific sale, at a location the city manager approves. The ordinance text does not set a numeric cap on how many sales a household may hold in a year or a fixed maximum number of days for a sale; instead, it delegates those operating details to such rules and regulations as may be promulgated by the city manager, meaning any frequency or duration limit that exists lives in an administrative policy adopted under this section rather than in the Code section itself.

Practically, that structure functions as a per-sale gate rather than an annual allowance: a resident cannot simply hold sales whenever they like based on an assumed yearly quota, because each sale requires its own permit application and city manager approval of the site before it can lawfully take place. Anyone planning a garage or rummage sale in Decatur should confirm the current administrative rules, including any per-year frequency limit the city manager's office is currently enforcing, before advertising a date, since that policy is not printed in the codified ordinance text itself.