Downey, CA Garage & Yard Sales: Frequency, Duration & Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Garage/yard/moving sales
- Max 2 per year, 2 consecutive days each
- Holiday extension
- Up to 3 days on extended national holidays
- Estate sales
- Max 10 days per year, 2 consecutive weekends
- Permitted hours
- 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- Permit required from
- City Planner, fee set by Council resolution
- Zones allowed
- R-1, R-2, R-3, R-3-O only
Summary
Downey caps garage, yard, and moving sales at two per residence per calendar year, each lasting no more than two consecutive days, and requires a City Planner permit before any sale, per Municipal Code § 9420.22.
Sale Frequency. (1) Garage, yard, or moving sales may be conducted a maximum of two times per calendar year per residence and may not be conducted for more than two consecutive days or three days on extended national holidays. Inclement weather may extend the period of time equal to the days lost. (2) Estate sales may be conducted a maximum of 10 days per calendar year per residence and may not be conducted on more than two consecutive weekends. (d) Hours. The hours of the garage, yard, moving, and estate sales shall be no earlier than 7:00 a.m. and no later than 8:00 p.m.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4807734; v5 updated 2026-01-27).
Full Breakdown
22 treats garage, yard, moving, and estate sales as temporary accessory uses allowed only in the R-1, R-2, R-3, and R-3-O residential zones, and only after the City Planner issues a permit. Applicants apply on forms the City Planner provides and pay a fee set by City Council resolution at the time of issuance. The frequency cap is specific: garage, yard, or moving sales may run a maximum of two times per calendar year per residence, capped at two consecutive days, extended to three days on major national holidays, with inclement weather allowed to push the sale back by the number of days lost.
Estate sales get a separate, more generous allowance: up to 10 days per calendar year per residence, but no more than two consecutive weekends, and they must be run by a duly licensed and bonded liquidation company with a bond amount the City Planner sets. m. Physical placement is restricted too: garage, yard, and moving sale merchandise must stay within the garage and the driveway inside the front setback, or, where there is no driveway, within half the property's width in the front setback; estate sale goods must stay inside the dwelling.
The ordinance flatly bans selling firearms, ammunition, explosives, undomesticated animals or livestock, or any item with its serial number removed, along with outside consignments and bulk lot purchases, and nothing offered for sale may block the public right-of-way.
Violations & Fines
Selling banned items, exceeding the two-sale/two-day annual cap, running an estate sale through an unlicensed or unbonded liquidator, or operating outside the 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. window all violate § 9420.22. The City Planner administers permits and can deny or decline to renew a permit for a resident who has violated these terms; ongoing enforcement runs through the City's general municipal code violation process.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many garage sales can I hold per year in Downey?
Do I need a permit for a garage sale in Downey?
What can't I sell at a Downey garage sale?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Downey
California rules heatmap·Compare Downey to another location·View the California garage & yard sales overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Frequency, Duration & Permits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle frequency, duration & permits.