Fresno County, CA Garage & Yard Sales: Frequency, Duration & Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Exemption
- up to 6 garage sales per year
- Location
- must be resident's own premises
- Goods
- must come from seller's own home
- Governing section
- Fresno County Code § 6.24.030(C)
- Over the limit
- license required as secondhand/junk dealer
Summary
Fresno County lets a resident hold occasional garage sales on their own property without a business license, but only up to six sales in any one-year period under County Code Section 6.24.030. Sell more often, or bring in outside merchandise, and the county treats the seller as an unlicensed junk or secondhand dealer.
The provisions of this chapter, except for those relating to secondhand dealers, shall not apply to the following:
A.Farm implement dealers who do not buy used parts or portions of implements except from other dealers having a fixed place of business;B.Used automobile dealers or dismantlers who do not buy loose parts or portions of automobiles except from other dealers having a fixed place of business;C.Occasional garage sales conducted by a resident upon his own premises selling articles originating from his own home and making not more than six such sales within any one-year period;D.Sales conducted upon the premises of a licensed flea market;E.Sales of recapped tires or rebuilt automobile parts from a fixed place of business;F.Auctions of farm produce and animals as defined in the Agricultural Code;G.Collection and sales of material from along roadsides for recycling. (Ord. No. 13-021, § 2, 10-22-2013; Ord. 598, § 4, 1978; Ord. 540-A-4, § 1, 1976; prior code, § 631.1)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 51).
Full Breakdown
030, carves out ordinary residential garage sales. ' The exemption depends on three things read together: the sale must happen on the resident's own property, the goods must come from that resident's own household rather than purchased-for-resale inventory, and the resident cannot exceed six such sales in a rolling year. 24 also exempts sales conducted on the premises of a licensed flea market and auctions of farm produce and animals, but those are separate carve-outs from the garage sale exemption and do not add to or subtract from the six-sale count.
020 treats that activity as unlicensed dealing in secondhand or junk goods, which requires an application to the license collector, sheriff fingerprinting and investigation, and a zoning check by the department of public works and planning before a license can issue. The county does not require a permit, fee, or advance notice for a garage sale that stays within the six-sale, own-premises, own-goods exemption; the ordinance is written as a license exception rather than a stand-alone permitting scheme.
Violations & Fines
Exceeding six garage sales at the same residence within a year, or selling goods that did not come from the resident's own home, forfeits the Section 6.24.030(C) exemption and exposes the seller to Section 6.24.020's licensing requirement for junk, secondhand, or used goods dealers. Operating as an unlicensed dealer is unlawful under that section and can trigger the same sheriff investigation and license collector enforcement used against unlicensed flea market operators and itinerant dealers.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many garage sales can I have per year in Fresno County?
Do I need a permit for an occasional garage sale?
What happens if I exceed six garage sales a year?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fresno County
California rules heatmap·Compare Fresno County to another location·View the California garage & yard sales overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.