Portsmouth, VA Garage & Yard Sales: Frequency, Duration & Permits (2026)

Portsmouth treats any garage, yard, attic, basement, porch, patio or room sale as a 'residential sale' under § 18-126, and § 18-129 flatly prohibits general retail or commercial sales in residential areas except as this article allows. To hold one, § 18-156 requires a permit from the commissioner of the revenue, and § 18-157 requires the application at least five days before the sale begins. Section 18-160 limits the same family, or any family member residing at the same address, to no more than two such permits per year.

, and bars Sunday sales entirely; if bad weather cancels the sale, the seller can file an amended application with the commissioner of the revenue for a new date within 30 days. Every permit application pays the fee set in Appendix A under § 18-158, and § 18-159 lets the commissioner investigate the sale's likely impact on the neighborhood before issuing it. Section 18-130 caps advertising to one sign of four square feet, postable no more than 48 hours before the sale and removable by its last day.

Goods received on consignment from a commercial business cannot be sold at a residential sale under § 18-134, and § 18-135 lets the chief of police suspend or cancel a sale that becomes a nuisance or safety hazard. Churches, schools and nonprofit community or educational sales are exempt from the entire article under § 18-128.