Taunton, MA Garage & Yard Sales: Frequency, Duration & Permits (2026)

Taunton Code § 337-6 defines a yard sale as offering new or used goods, articles or wares for sale, trade or exchange at a residential premises where the items are conspicuously displayed. Before holding one, the resident must obtain a permit from the City Clerk, and the Clerk charges no fee for it. The permit must be displayed conspicuously at the premises for the entire duration of the sale. Each individual sale can run no longer than two consecutive days, and it must take place only on the premises where the permit holder actually resides, not at a second property, a relative's house, or a commercial lot.

Once the sale ends, every item offered has to be removed and properly stored: nothing may stay on display, and nothing may simply be left in place under a tarp between sales. The ordinance caps frequency two ways at once. No individual can be issued more than three permits in a calendar year, and no single residential address can host more than three yard sales in a calendar year regardless of who applies, so a household cannot get around the per-person cap by rotating which resident's name is on the application.

Applications go to the City Clerk, who also offers an online filing option, and the Clerk's office notifies the Police Department of every permit issued. Enforcement is split between the Taunton Police Department and the City's Trash Enforcement Officers, who both have authority to check compliance at the sale site.