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

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

Key Facts

Annual limit
4 garage sales per lot
Spacing
1 per 3-month period
Max duration
3 consecutive days
Allowed hours
7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Penalty
misdemeanor, Sec. 9.54.030

Summary

Merced caps garage sales at four per year per lot, no more than one every three months, each lasting up to three consecutive days. Section 9.54.020.A also bars holding a sale between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., and violating any requirement is a misdemeanor under Section 9.54.030.

Frequency and duration upon any lot or parcel of land: A total of four (4) garage sales is permitted a year, provided that no more than one (1) garage sale may be held during any three (3) month period. A garage sale may occur on any day of the week provided that the maximum duration of a garage sale does not exceed three (3) consecutive days. Garage sales may not be held between the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.

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 85 - 1-26).

Full Breakdown

010 defines to include yard sales, rummage sales, and patio sales held on residentially used or occupied property. A single lot or parcel is limited to a total of four garage sales in a calendar year, and no more than one of those four may occur within any three-month period, spacing them roughly a season apart. both fall outside the permitted window. B adds a housekeeping rule that runs alongside the frequency limits: items for sale cannot be displayed or stored in the public right-of-way, including the sidewalk, parkway, alley, or street, and once the sale ends everything visible from the public street must be cleared from the yard.

54, whether holding a fifth sale in a year, running a sale within three months of the last one, or exceeding the three-day limit, a misdemeanor, the same charge level applied to every other requirement in the chapter.

Violations & Fines

Exceeding four garage sales a year, holding a second sale within three months of the last one, running a sale past three consecutive days, or holding one outside the 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. window is a misdemeanor under Section 9.54.030, the same penalty level applied to every other requirement in Chapter 9.54.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many garage sales can I hold per year in Merced?
Section 9.54.020.A limits any single lot or parcel to four garage sales in a calendar year, and no more than one of those four sales can happen within any three-month period, so they have to be spread out through the year rather than run back-to-back.
What hours can a Merced garage sale run?
The code bars holding a garage sale between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. under Section 9.54.020.A, and a single sale cannot last more than three consecutive days regardless of when during that window it runs, so a Friday-to-Sunday sale is the practical maximum length allowed.
What happens if I hold more garage sales than the limit allows?
Section 9.54.030 makes any violation of Chapter 9.54's garage sale rules, including exceeding the four-per-year cap or the three-month spacing requirement, a misdemeanor, the same charge applied to every other requirement in the chapter, from sign placement to the right-of-way display ban.

Sources & Official References

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