Lee's Summit, MO Garage & Yard Sales: Frequency, Duration & Permits (2026)

The UDO defines a 'garage sale' as 'the sale of personal property that is conducted on premises within a residential district upon which is located a dwelling, or on any portion of a lot used for residential purposes' (Sec. 1520(9)). Garage sales sit on the list of activities that can qualify as a 'special event,' which would normally require a Special Event Permit under Sec. 1530, but Sec. 1540 exempts specific low-impact events from that permit requirement. ' The special-event duration table at Sec. ' Both limits run concurrently, so a household could run four five-day sales, or a mix of shorter sales, as long as the combined total stays at or under 20 days across the calendar year.

The exemption in Sec. 1540 only excuses the sale from the Special Event Permit process; it does not create a separate garage-sale permit or registration requirement, and the code lists no application, fee or inspection tied specifically to garage sales. Because the UDO gives no alternative permitting path for exceeding the four-sale or 20-day cap, a sale that runs past those limits falls outside the exemption and becomes an unpermitted special event, exposing the resident to the UDO's general violations and penalty provisions at Sec. 160 and Sec. 170 rather than to a garage-sale-specific fine.