Ontario, CA Garage & Yard Sales: Frequency, Duration & Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Frequency
- 4 weekends per calendar year
- Sale hours
- 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
- Sign limit
- one, 6 sq ft, sale days only
- Location
- residential-zoned property only
- Permit/fee
- repealed in 2010
Summary
Ontario Municipal Code Sec. 5-15.03 limits garage and yard sales to no more than four weekends a year, on Council-designated Friday-through-Sunday weekends, and restricts sale hours to 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
(a) The frequency of garage or yard sales in the City shall be limited to no more than four (4) weekends per calendar year. The Council may by resolution declare the four (4) weekends in which garage or yard sales may be conducted, and may consider such factors as inclement weather or garage or yard sale weekends of neighboring cities, among any other factors the Council deems relevant. For purposes of this subsection, the term weekend shall mean Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. (b) Garage or yard sales shall be conducted only between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-32: Current through Ordinance 3338, passed 7-21-2026).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 15, rewritten by Ordinance 2924 in 2010, defines a "garage or yard sale" in Sec. 01 as an event where personal property owned or used by the occupants of the premises, other than a licensed commercial business, is offered for sale to the public, including garage and patio sales, but excluding a nonprofit's permitted rummage sale. 03(a) caps the frequency at four weekends per calendar year, with the City Council empowered to designate by resolution which four weekends are allowed, weighing factors like weather or neighboring cities' sale weekends; "weekend" is defined as Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
m. 04 permits one double-faced sign of no more than six square feet per side, postable on the property only on the days of the sale. 07 limits sales to the seller's own personal property, barring new merchandise or consigned resale goods, and Sec. 08 confines garage and yard sales to properties zoned and permitted for residential use. 05 exempts court-ordered property sales, and Sec. 06 requires that goods be arranged so fire, police, health, and other officials have access during the sale, with the Police Department handling enforcement. The former permit-and-fee system in Sec. 02 was repealed in 2010, so no city permit or fee currently attaches to a compliant sale.
Violations & Fines
Ontario Municipal Code does not set a separate fine within Chapter 15 itself; a violation, such as exceeding four weekends, selling outside the 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. window, or holding a sale on non-residential property, is enforced under the Code's general penalty section, Sec. 1-2.01, as a misdemeanor (up to $1,000 fine, six months in jail) or an infraction with escalating $100/$200/$500 fines.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many garage sales can I hold per year in Ontario, CA?
Do I need a permit for a garage sale in Ontario?
Can I sell new merchandise at my garage sale in Ontario?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Ontario
California rules heatmap·Compare Ontario to another location·View the California garage & yard sales overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Frequency, Duration & Permits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Bernardino County handle frequency, duration & permits.