Shelby, MI Garage & Yard Sales: Frequency, Duration & Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Sales allowed per year
- Four casual sales per calendar year
- Maximum duration
- Three consecutive days per sale
- Applies to
- Garage, yard, basement, rummage and flea market sales
- Exceptions
- Court-ordered sales; ads listing five or fewer items
- Penalty
- Municipal civil infraction, increased fine for repeats
Summary
The Village of Shelby caps casual sales, meaning garage, yard, basement and rummage sales, at four per calendar year per person, organization or property, and no single sale can run longer than three consecutive days. The rule targets residential neighborhoods, so repeated or extended sales that function like a business are barred.
No person, organization, corporation, partnership or association of whatever description shall conduct in excess of four casual sales, as defined in this chapter, within one calendar year. No casual sale as herein defined shall exceed three consecutive days.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 366 of the Code of the Village of Shelby, adopted in 1978 and carried forward as Ch. 812 of the 2000 Codified Ordinances, regulates what it calls a casual sale: any garage sale, yard sale, basement sale, rummage sale, attic sale, lawn sale or flea market sale of used, secondhand, damaged or discarded personal property advertised so the public at large can find it. Section 366-1 states the Village's purpose is to keep the term and frequency of these sales from disturbing residential areas or letting a business operate under the guise of a casual sale.
Section 366-3 sets the operative limits: no person, organization, corporation, partnership or association may conduct more than four casual sales within one calendar year, and no single sale may run longer than three consecutive days. Two narrow exceptions in § 366-5 exclude sales ordered by a court and advertisements naming five or fewer specific items for sale, since those do not amount to a public casual sale as the chapter defines it. The limits apply per seller, so a household hosting sales at the same address is capped at four sale events and twelve total sale-days in a calendar year under this section.
Violations & Fines
Exceeding four casual sales in a calendar year, or running a single sale beyond three consecutive days, violates § 366-3 and is a municipal civil infraction under § 366-6 and § 1-2. A second or subsequent violation within a 24-month period is treated as a repeat offense, and § 366-6 authorizes an increased civil fine for that repeat violation, set out in § 1-2.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many garage sales can I have per year in Shelby?
Are there exceptions to the garage sale limit?
What happens if I exceed the sale limit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Shelby
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