Waco, TX Garage & Yard Sales: Frequency, Duration & Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Max sales per address
- 2 per calendar year
- Max duration
- 3 consecutive calendar days
- Who may hold one
- Owner or tenant (HOA/nonprofit exceptions)
- Allowed districts
- R-1 through R-3 and other residential
- Items
- Tangible personal property only
- Estate sale limit (separate)
- 1 per 12 months, § 28-931
Summary
Waco caps garage and yard sales at two per property per calendar year, each running no more than three consecutive days, and restricts who can hold one, per Sec. 28-930 of the zoning code, which also confines the sales to residential districts R-1 through R-3.
(a)Garage or yard sales will be permitted in the R-1 district through R-3 district and in other districts where primary use of property is residential.(b)Garage or yard sales are permitted under the following conditions:(1)Garage and yard sales must be conducted by the owner or tenant of the property where the sale is conducted.... (7)There shall not be more than two garage or yard sales by the same property owner or tenant at the same location during any calendar year.... (9)The duration of any garage or yard sale shall not exceed three consecutive calendar days.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 88).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 28-930 permits garage or yard sales 'in the R-1 district through R-3 district and in other districts where primary use of property is residential,' then lists nine conditions. ' The sale must be run by 'the owner or tenant of the property where the sale is conducted' under subsection (b)(1), though neighborhood and homeowners associations and tax-exempt organizations may hold a sale on property they don't own, and an association's sale can span multiple locations within its boundaries. Only tangible personal property may be sold, nothing acquired solely for resale, and anyone who habitually sells personal property as a business must collect and report sales tax as state law requires rather than use the garage-sale exemption.
All items must stay on the premises during the sale. A related but separate allowance, Sec. 28-931, lets a residential property hold one estate sale every 12 months, also capped at three consecutive days, when the sale disposes of a decedent's or incapacitated person's property; that is a distinct count from the two-per-year garage sale limit.
Violations & Fines
Exceeding two garage sales a year at the same address, running a sale past three consecutive days, or holding one outside the R-1 through R-3 and other residential districts violates Sec. 28-930 and is enforced as a misdemeanor under the chapter's general penalty, Sec. 28-11, with each day of a noncompliant sale counted as a separate offense and fined under Sec. 1-14.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many garage sales can I hold at my Waco address each year?
How long can a Waco garage sale run?
Can a homeowners association hold a garage sale on someone else's property?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Waco
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Waco to another location·View the Texas garage & yard sales overview
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