Loudoun County, VA Garage & Yard Sales: Frequency, Duration & Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- County permit required
- none, for a residential yard sale
- Exempted by
- Sections 830.15 and 830.33
- Scope
- individual selling on residential property
- Not exempt
- recurring resale business or commercial-property sales
- Also exempt
- established charity fundraisers, IRS 501(c) nonprofits
- Town codes
- Leesburg/Purcellville etc. apply separately
Summary
Loudoun County does not require a peddler, pawnbroker, secondhand-dealer, or precious-metals permit for a yard sale on your own residential property. The county's licensing chapter carves out an express exemption, so there's no county permit, fee, or Sheriff registration needed to run a garage sale at your house.
830.15 EXEMPTIONS. No part of this chapter will be construed to apply to individuals conducting a yard sale on residential property or to fundraising activities being conducted by established entities for charitable organizations or thrift stores accepting donations... 830.33 EXEMPTIONS. No part of this chapter shall apply to: (a) Individuals conducting a yard sale on residential property. (b) Fundraising activities conducted by established entities for charitable organizations. (c) A business registered with the United States Internal Revenue Service as nonprofit under section 501(c), and which receives charitable donations.
Full Breakdown
Loudoun County's licensing chapters build the yard-sale exemption directly into the ordinances that would otherwise apply. 15, in the Pawnbrokers and Secondhand Article Dealers article, states that no part of that chapter applies to individuals conducting a yard sale on residential property, alongside exemptions for established-charity fundraising and IRS-recognized 501(c) nonprofits. 33 repeats the same carve-out for the Precious Metals or Gems Dealers article, listing individuals conducting a yard sale on residential property first among that article's exemptions. Together, the two sections mean a homeowner selling used household goods, electronics, jewelry, or other personal items from their own residential property is not a 'secondhand article dealer' or 'precious metals dealer' requiring a Sheriff-issued permit, a transaction log, or 24-hour reporting to the Sheriff's Office, no matter how many items change hands or what they're worth.
22 depending on the goods involved. Loudoun's Code does not set a separate county permit, fee, or per-year frequency cap for a residential yard sale itself; the exemption is from the dealer/pawnbroker licensing chapters, not an affirmative yard-sale ordinance. Homeowners in incorporated towns such as Leesburg or Purcellville should check that town's own code, since town rules operate independently of the county exemption.
Violations & Fines
Because Sections 830.15 and 830.33 exempt residential yard sales outright, there is no county permit fee or Sheriff registration to violate for an occasional sale of household items. A seller who instead runs a recurring resale business from a residence, or sells regulated goods like pawned jewelry or scrap metal without a permit, loses the exemption and faces the same Class 1 misdemeanor exposure under Section 830.14 that applies to any unlicensed dealer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to hold a garage sale in unincorporated Loudoun County?
Does the yard-sale exemption cover selling old jewelry or coins at my garage sale?
Is there a limit on how many yard sales I can hold per year in Loudoun County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Loudoun County
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