Sacramento County, CA Garage & Yard Sales: Frequency, Duration & Permits (2026)

The Sacramento County Zoning Code treats a garage sale as an accessory use, meaning it rides along with the residential use of the property rather than requiring its own land-use entitlement. M sets the operative limits directly: sales are permitted only "on any parcel where the sale operator resides," capped at three sales per calendar year, and each sale may run no more than two consecutive days. Total signage for the sale cannot exceed 12 square feet, and "all signs and merchandise must be displayed within the property boundaries," so items and A-frame signs cannot spill into the public right-of-way, sidewalk or street.

Chapter 7's definitions section describes a garage sale as "the temporary sale of used or unwanted household items that is held in the garage, driveway, or front yard area of a seller's home," which confirms the rule reaches driveway and front-yard sales, not just sales staged inside a garage. A folds it into whatever primary residential use already exists on the lot: no separate zoning permit or Temporary Use Permit is triggered as long as the frequency, duration and sign limits above are respected. A, which the Planning and Environmental Review Department can act on through the standard zoning enforcement process rather than any garage-sale-specific licensing scheme.