Madison, WI Garage & Yard Sales: Frequency, Duration & Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Max duration
- 4 days per sale
- Max frequency
- 1 sale per 3 months
- Permit required
- None
- Governing section
- MGO § 28.151
- Covered sale types
- Yard, garage, attic, rummage, moving
- Enforcement
- Zoning Administrator, § 28.207 forfeiture
Summary
Madison caps every yard or garage sale at four days and allows only one per property in any three-month period under Madison General Ordinances § 28.151. The zoning code's broad definition in § 28.211 covers garage, attic, rummage and moving sales alike, and the rule applies as a permitted accessory use in every residential and commercial district: no separate permit or fee required.
Sec. 28.151, Supplemental Regulations: "Yard Sales. A yard sale shall not exceed four (4) days in duration, and no more than one sale shall be held in any three- (3) month period." Sec. 28.211, Definitions: "Yard Sale. Any lawn sale, garage sale, attic sale, rummage sale, moving sale or other similar sale involving the display and/or sale of new and/or used goods on a zoning lot where the principal use is residential."
Full Breakdown
211 defines the covered activity broadly, 'Any lawn sale, garage sale, attic sale, rummage sale, moving sale or other similar sale involving the display and/or sale of new and/or used goods on a zoning lot where the principal use is residential', so the same two limits govern garage sales, attic sales, rummage sales and moving sales, not just sales held on the lawn. The residential-district use table at Sec. 032 (Table 28C-1) and the mixed-use/commercial table at Sec. 061 (Table 28D-2) both list yard sales as a permitted (P) accessory use, flagged 'Y' to point back to the Sec.
151 conditions, so the four-day and three-month caps apply the same way whether the property sits in a residential district or a commercial one. The ordinance imposes no fee, no advance notice to the City, and no sign or hours restriction, only frequency and duration are regulated. Selling secondhand goods at an 'occasional garage or yard sale' also falls outside the definition of a licensed 'secondhand article dealer' under Sec. 24, so a compliant sale needs no separate dealer's license either. A property that runs sales more often than the ordinance allows, or lets a single sale run past four days, is no longer operating within the accessory 'yard sale' use and can be cited for a zoning violation under Sec. 207.
Violations & Fines
Running a yard sale outside these limits is a zoning violation under Sec. 28.207(1), which sets a forfeiture of not less than one dollar ($1) and not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) for any violation of Chapter 28's requirements. The Zoning Administrator enforces the use-table conditions tied to Sec. 28.151; sales exceeding four days or recurring more than once every three months lose their protected accessory-use status and can also draw a secondhand-dealer licensing complaint under Sec. 9.24.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit for a garage sale in Madison?
How many garage sales can I hold per year in Madison?
Does the four-day limit apply to estate sales too?
What happens if I hold sales too often?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Madison
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