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

Sec. 15A-1 bars selling personal property in a residential zone to the general public without first obtaining a permit for a garage, patio or back-yard sale; ordinary sale of property a resident owns and uses is otherwise limited to items not displayed in the front or side yard, except a vehicle parked on a permanent driveway. To hold a sale, Sec. 15A-2 requires a written application to the license collector listing the applicant's name and address, the property owner's name and address if different, the sale location, the proposed dates, and a sworn declaration that the seller owns the property offered, has not acquired it for resale, and has not held a sale on the same premises within the prior twelve months.

Sec. 15A-3 backs that declaration with a hard rule: no permit may issue to the same person or for the same premises within any twelve-month period, and a permit cannot be transferred to another person or address. Sec. 15A-4 limits the sale itself to three consecutive days, or two consecutive weekends of two days each, and confines selling hours to between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on the permitted days. Because the application must be filed with the license collector before the sale, a resident who wants to hold a sale on short notice still has to clear the twelve-month lookback and get the permit approved first.