Tracy, CA Garage & Yard Sales: Frequency, Duration & Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Frequency limit
- One sale per property every 4 months
- Duration
- 3 consecutive days or 2 weekends (4 days)
- Hours
- 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. only
- Street sales
- Prohibited on/from public streets or ROW
- Dealer ban
- No licensed dealer may consign or join a sale
- Exemptions
- Charitable, religious, educational or court-ordered sales
Summary
Tracy residents may hold only one garage sale per residential property every four months under Municipal Code section 10.08.3170, capped at three consecutive days or two consecutive weekends totaling four days. Sales must run only between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. and cannot spill onto public streets or rights-of-way. A sale that breaks these rules is declared an unlawful public nuisance.
10.08.3170 - Garage sales. Garage sales on residentially zoned property shall be permitted under the following conditions: (a)Only one such sale may be conducted in any four (4) month period and shall be limited to not more than three (3) consecutive days or to two (2) consecutive weekends not to exceed four (4) days in all. Such sale shall not be conducted between the hours of 8:00 p.m. of any day and 8:00 a.m. of the following day. Sales shall not encroach or be made on or from public streets or rights-of-way.(b)No licensed retail or wholesale dealer shall be permitted to consign or offer for sale any goods or merchandise or participate in any private sale authorized by this section.(c)Any garage sale not meeting the conditions set forth in subsections (a) and (b) of this section is hereby declared to be unlawful and a public nuisance.(d)The provisions of this section shall not apply to any charitable or religious organization or educational institution for occasional charitable, religious, or educational purposes, nor shall this section apply to sales conducted pursuant to a process or order of any court of competent jurisdiction.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 69).
Full Breakdown
3170 permits a garage sale on residentially zoned property, but only once every four months per property. The sale window is capped at three consecutive days, or, if the seller spreads it over two weekends, no more than four total days across those two weekends. the next morning. The section also bars any encroachment onto public streets or rights-of-way: merchandise, tables and signage advertising the sale must stay on private property. The ordinance targets genuine household sales rather than informal retailing. Subsection (b) bars any licensed retail or wholesale dealer from consigning goods to, or participating in, a garage sale authorized under this section, closing off the loophole of a business using a residential address to move inventory without a storefront permit.
3105. Subsection (d) carves out two exemptions from the entire section. It does not apply to a charitable organization, religious organization, or educational institution holding an occasional sale for charitable, religious or educational purposes, so a church rummage sale or PTA fundraiser is not bound by the four-month cap. It also does not apply to a sale conducted under a court order, such as an estate or probate sale directed by a judge.
Violations & Fines
A garage sale that violates the frequency cap, duration limit, hour restriction or street-encroachment ban under 10.08.3170(a) is declared unlawful and a public nuisance under subsection (c), which puts it under the City's general zoning enforcement authority in TMC 10.08.3105: criminal misdemeanor prosecution under chapter 1.04, an administrative citation under chapter 1.28, or nuisance abatement under chapter 1.32. A licensed dealer who consigns goods to, or takes part in, a resident's sale violates subsection (b) independently.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many garage sales can I hold per year in Tracy?
What hours can I run my garage sale?
Can a business use a garage sale to sell inventory?
Are charity rummage sales exempt from the four-month limit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tracy
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