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

Chapter 18.122 of the Santa Clara Zoning Code (Temporary Use Permits) lists the short-term activities exempt from needing a permit. Section 18.122.040(C), "Garage and Yard Sales," limits that exemption to residential sales of used household merchandise held for "not to exceeding two, two-day periods each year." The same exemption list covers on-site construction storage, emergency facilities, and events on public property, but garage sales get their own numeric cap rather than an open-ended allowance. If a household wants to sell more often, the sale no longer qualifies as exempt: the applicant must instead seek a Temporary Use Permit under Section 18.122.050 (Allowed Temporary Uses), the same chapter that governs special events, seasonal sales, and rummage sales open to a wider mix of merchandise.

Notably, Section 18.122.050(B)(1) treats "rummage sales (not garage or yard sales)" as a distinct, permitted special-event category limited to six consecutive days or six two-day weekends within 12 months, underscoring that the two two-day-period cap is specific to residential garage and yard sales and is not interchangeable with the broader special-events allowance. A Temporary Use Permit application under this chapter also cannot be issued if another temporary use already occurred on the same property within the previous 30 days, per Section 18.122.050's introductory clause, so a household that wants to run a third or fourth sale in a year needs both the extra permit and to clear that 30-day spacing rule. The exemption applies per residential parcel, not per household member, and the merchandise sold must be used household goods, not commercial inventory.