Pawtucket, RI Garage & Yard Sales: Frequency, Duration & Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Annual limit
- 2 sales per property per year
- License required
- None (§ 329-3)
- First offense fine
- $25
- Repeat offense fine
- $50 each
- Governing chapter
- City Code Ch. 329, Art. I
Summary
Pawtucket limits garage and yard sales to two per property each calendar year under City Code § 329-1, with no license required. A garage or yard sale is any sale held on a home's premises or on abutting land within city limits under § 329-2. Violators face escalating fines starting at $25 for a first offense.
§ 329-1. Number of sales permitted. A garage or yard sale may be held within the boundaries of the City of Pawtucket two (2) times per year. § 329-2. Term defined. A "garage or yard sale" shall be any sale held on the premises of a home or land abutting thereto within said boundaries of the City of Pawtucket. § 329- ... 4. Violations and penalties. Any violation of this Article shall result in the following fines: A. First offense: twenty-five dollars ($25.). B. Every additional offense: fifty dollars ($50.).
Full Breakdown
Pawtucket City Code Chapter 329, Article I, adopted in 1975 as Ch. No. 1500, caps garage and yard sales at two per calendar year per property. " The ordinance is broad in what counts: § 329-2 defines a "garage or yard sale" as "any sale held on the premises of a home or land abutting thereto within said boundaries of the City of Pawtucket," so a driveway sale, a lawn sale, or a sale on an adjoining lot all count toward the same annual cap.
Unlike Pawtucket's flea market vendor rules in Article II of the same chapter, which require a City Council-approved license, a $100 fee and a public hearing, a resident running a garage or yard sale needs no permit under § 329-3. That light-touch approach ends once the two-sale limit is exceeded: § 329-4 sets fines at $25 for a first offense and $50 for every additional offense, enforced through the City's general penalty process in Chapter 1, Article I. A household planning a third sale in a single year, or back-to-back sales that push past the calendar-year cap, is outside this ordinance and can be cited. The rule applies citywide with no district exceptions carved out.
Violations & Fines
A first violation of the two-sale annual limit carries a $25 fine; each subsequent violation is $50, assessed under Chapter 1's general penalty provisions per § 329-4. Fines are levied per violation, not per day, and apply regardless of whether the seller thought a license was required.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pawtucket
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