Southampton, NY Garage & Yard Sales: Frequency, Duration & Permits (2026)

Town Code Chapter 283 makes every special event require a written permit from the Fire Marshal or the Town Code Compliance and Emergency Management Administrator, but Section 283-2A(3)(h) carves out a yard sale exemption if the seller clears six conditions at once. The sale must run wholly within the property line where the dwelling unit sits, sell only previously owned goods with no new merchandise or consigned inventory brought in from elsewhere, last no more than three consecutive days on a single property, total no more than 12 days in a calendar year with a six-day cap between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and operate only between 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.

Any yard sale signage must also comply with Chapter 330, Article XXII, the Town's sign law. The exemption's definition is broad: yard sale covers garage sales, lawn sales, attic sales, tag sales and rummage sales alike, so renaming the event changes nothing. Because the exemption is conditional rather than automatic, a resident running a fourth consecutive day, a seventh sale-day in a single summer week, or an 8:00 p.m. sale has stepped outside Section 283-2A(3)(h) entirely and is now conducting an unpermitted special event under Section 283-2A(1), which normally requires a Fire Marshal permit filed at least 90 days in advance under Section 283-2B(1).