Worcester County, MD Garage & Yard Sales: Frequency, Duration & Permits (2026)

Section ZS 1-341 governs yard sales in unincorporated Worcester County, Maryland. Ocean City, Berlin, Snow Hill and Pocomoke City set their own yard sale rules under their own codes. A yard sale can be conducted only under a permit issued by the Department, with one exemption: the owners of a lot can hold two yard sales per calendar year on their own lot without a permit, still subject to the display, setback and sign standards in subsection (c). Any additional yard sale on the premises requires a yard sale permit.

Permit limits are firm. In addition to the two exempt sales, the Department issues no more than three yard sale permits for any one parcel in any one calendar year. Each permit is for a period not to exceed seventy-two consecutive hours, and a permit can provide for alternative dates.

Site standards apply to every sale, exempt or permitted. The display area cannot exceed one thousand square feet, and all display areas must be set back fifteen feet from the abutting road right-of-way. Tables and other display racks can go on the site not more than twenty-four hours before the day of the sale and must be removed within twelve hours after the sale. Wherever possible, access to the site and areas for parking on the site must be arranged to provide safe ingress, egress and pedestrian circulation.

Signs are capped. No advertising sign can exceed four square feet in area, no advertising sign can be placed on any road right-of-way, and signs must be removed no later than twenty-four hours after the sale.

The Department of Development Review and Permitting handles the permits. The exemption belongs to the owners of the lot and covers sales on their lot, so a seller cannot spread exempt sales across other properties.