Stratford, CT Garage & Yard Sales: Frequency, Duration & Permits (2026)

Section 4.4.21(D) of the Stratford Zoning Regulations, adopted by the Zoning Commission, sets the frequency and duration limits for garage-style sales in the Town of Stratford, Connecticut. The Town's own wording is tag sales and estate sales, and the limit is up to three of them per year, subject to four conditions.

First, the location: such tag sales are permitted only in association with a single, two, or three family dwelling, so a sale tied to a larger multifamily building is outside the section. Second, the duration: each tag sale or estate sale is a maximum of two days. Third, the hours: such sales are permitted only between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Fourth, the footprint: no item for sale can encroach on any Town rights-of-way, which the section defines in parentheses as sidewalks and streets. Tables and racks therefore stay on the owner's own property.

The section sits inside Section 4.4.21, Special events and other temporary uses, alongside two related rules that are not the same thing. Sidewalk sales are for retail uses, not households: up to two per year, each not lasting more than three days, with written notice to the Planning and Zoning office seven days in advance and the sale area limited to 100 square feet. Carnivals, shows, fairs and pop-ups need approval from the Planning and Zoning Administrator. The household tag sale conditions in subsection D name no issuing office and no application fee, so the printed limits are three sales a year, two days each, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with the sidewalks and streets kept clear.