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Kenosha, WI Garage & Yard Sales: Frequency, Duration & Permits (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Governing section
11.149 (Rummage/Garage Sales)
Annual day limit
6 calendar days, need not be consecutive
Allowed hours
8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Merchandise limit
Personal property only
Enforcing agencies
City Inspections & Police Dept.

Summary

Kenosha caps rummage and garage sales at six calendar days per year under Section 11.149: sales must stick to personal property, cannot run more than six days in a calendar year whether consecutive or not, and cannot operate between 9:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. on any day.

B.Prohibition.1.It shall be unlawful for any person or party to sell other than personal property at a Rummage/Garage Sale.2.It shall be unlawful for any person or party to hold or permit to be held a Rummage/Garage Sale on more than six (6) calendar days, whether or not consecutive, within any calendar year.3.It shall be unlawful for any person or party to hold or permit to be held a Rummage/Garage Sale during the hours of 9:00 P.M. to 8:00 A.M. on any day.C.Enforcement. The City Departments of City Inspections and Police shall have the authority to enforce the provisions of this section.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 11 Update 1 | Zoning Ordinance: Supplement 9).

Full Breakdown

149 defines a Rummage/Garage Sale broadly, covering any sale of personal property on residentially zoned property within the City, no matter what the seller calls the event, which closes off the loophole of labeling a sale something else to dodge the rule. Personal Property is limited to items acquired in the course of living in or maintaining a dwelling unit, so the ordinance's first prohibition bars selling anything else, such as merchandise bought or made specifically for resale, at a residential sale. The second prohibition is the frequency cap: a person or party cannot hold or permit a Rummage/Garage Sale on more than six calendar days within any calendar year, and those six days do not need to be consecutive, so a household could split its allotment across a spring sale and a fall sale as long as the combined total stays at six days or fewer.

on any day, which applies uniformly regardless of how many of the six annual days remain. 149, so either can respond to a complaint about an oversized, over-frequent, or after-hours sale on residential property.

Violations & Fines

Section 11.149 is enforced by both the Department of City Inspections and the Kenosha Police Department, and because it sits in Chapter XI, a conviction falls under the general Chapter XI penalty clause, Section 11.17.A: a forfeiture of up to $1,000 plus prosecution costs, assessments and surcharges, with nonpayment risking up to ninety days in the Kenosha County Jail or a license suspension of up to five years.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many garage sale days is a Kenosha resident allowed each year?
Section 11.149.B.2 caps it at six calendar days within any calendar year, and those days do not have to be consecutive, so a household can spread its sales across the year as long as the combined total does not exceed six days.
What hours can a Kenosha garage sale run?
Section 11.149.B.3 prohibits holding a Rummage/Garage Sale between 9:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. on any day, so sales must be confined to daytime and early-evening hours regardless of how many annual sale days remain.
Can I sell new merchandise at a garage sale in Kenosha?
No. Section 11.149.B.1 limits sales to Personal Property, defined as items acquired in the course of living in or maintaining a dwelling unit, so selling goods bought or made specifically for resale at a residential sale violates the ordinance.

Sources & Official References

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