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Westminster, CA Garage & Yard Sales: Frequency, Duration & Permits (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Max sales per year
3 per residence
Permit spacing
1 permit per 3 months
Max sale duration
3 consecutive days
Weather extension window
within 7 days of original date
Reschedule grace period
up to 30 days, no penalty
Permit fee
nonrefundable, set by fee resolution
Zoning eligibility
residential zoning districts only

Summary

Westminster allows residential garage sales but caps them at three per residence per calendar year, with only one permit issued per residence in any three-month stretch. Each sale runs a maximum of three consecutive days, and a City permit is required before the sale can legally begin.

Garage sales may be conducted no more than 3 times per residence in any calendar year, and no more than 1 permit may be issued per residence in a 3-month period. A garage sale may be conducted for a maximum of 3 consecutive days. Inclement weather may extend the permitted garage sale by the number of days lost due to the inclement weather as long as the garage sale is conducted within 7 days of the original permitted garage sale date. A permittee may conduct a permitted garage sale within 30 days after issuance of the permit with no penalty as long as written notice is provided to the City prior to the date of the original permitted garage sale.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4982734; v10 updated 2026-06-10).

Full Breakdown

045, garage sales are permitted in all residential zoning districts, but the City treats them as a regulated temporary use requiring a permit rather than an as-of-right activity. A resident may hold no more than three garage sales per calendar year, and the City will not issue more than one garage sale permit per residence within any three-month period, so sales cannot be back-to-back even under the annual cap. Each permitted sale is limited to three consecutive days. If inclement weather forces a cancellation, the City allows the sale to be extended by the number of days actually lost to weather, provided the makeup days fall within seven days of the original permitted date.

A permittee who needs to reschedule can also hold the sale up to 30 days after the permit issues without penalty, as long as the City receives written notice before the original scheduled date. A group garage sale involving multiple households at one address is allowed, but every participant must sign the same affidavit required of a solo seller. 5, certifies that none of the goods offered for sale were acquired elsewhere for resale, which is the City's mechanism for keeping garage sale permits from becoming a workaround for unlicensed retail or resale operations.

The permit itself is issued without a tax, but the application must be accompanied by a nonrefundable fee set in the City Council's Fee Resolution, and the signed affidavit must be on file before issuance.

Violations & Fines

Garage sales are governed by Chapter 17.540 of the Zoning Code, so exceeding the three-per-year cap, holding a sale without a permit, or running past the three-consecutive-day limit is a Zoning Code violation enforced under Westminster's general penalty section, Westminster Code § 1.12.010. That section makes any code violation a misdemeanor, punishable by up to a $1,000 fine, six months in jail, or both, unless the city attorney elects to prosecute it as an infraction, which carries escalating fines of $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second within a year, and $500 for each additional violation.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many garage sales can I hold per year in Westminster?
Up to three per calendar year at the same residence, but the City will not issue more than one permit for that address in any rolling three-month period, so the three sales must be spread out rather than clustered together.
Do I need a permit before holding a garage sale?
Yes. Westminster Code § 17.540.045 requires a garage sale permit before the sale begins, along with a signed affidavit certifying the goods were not acquired elsewhere for resale, and a nonrefundable application fee set by City Council resolution.
What if rain or bad weather ruins my scheduled garage sale?
The City lets you make up the lost days, but the rescheduled sale must happen within seven days of the original permitted date, and you can only add back the number of days actually lost to the weather.
Can several neighbors hold one big group garage sale?
Yes, a group garage sale at a single location is allowed, but every participating household must sign the same affidavit that a solo seller would sign, confirming none of the goods were bought elsewhere for resale.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Westminster

All Westminster rules

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