Philadelphia County does not require a garage sale permit for occasional residential yard sales under Phila. Code 19-2602. Frequent sellers or those acquiring inventory for resale must obtain a Commercial Activity License.
Philadelphia does not operate a dedicated garage sale or yard sale permit program. Residents may hold occasional sales of personal household goods without advance application. Phila. Code 19-2602 requires a Commercial Activity License (CAL) for any person engaged in business activity, defined to include repeated or inventory-based selling. Customary practice allows approximately 3-4 informal yard sales per year per household before activity crosses into licensed commerce. A CAL costs approximately $300 for first-year registration and requires a BIRT tax account. Signage for the sale must comply with Phila. Code 10-812 (Bandit Signs Ordinance) and Zoning Code 14-904. Sales cannot block sidewalks or extend into the public right-of-way. Multi-family buildings may need landlord approval.
Unlicensed commercial selling: $300 under Phila. Code 19-2602. Bandit sign violations: $75 per sign. Right-of-way obstruction: $75 plus required removal.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Philadelphia County, PA
Philadelphia Code Title 12 prohibits parking recreational vehicles, trailers, and boats on city streets for more than 24 hours. No overnight on-street RV par...
Philadelphia County, PA
Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA) enforces on-street parking under Phila Code Title 12. Residential Permit Parking program covers 35+ neighborhoods. Meter...
Philadelphia County, PA
Philadelphia County permits residential recreational fire pits with restrictions. Fires must be in approved containers, small in size, use clean dry wood onl...
Philadelphia County, PA
Philadelphia County prohibits the discharge of consumer fireworks within most of the city due to density restrictions. PA Act 43 of 2017 legalized consumer f...
Philadelphia County, PA
Philadelphia County requires property owners to maintain lots free of accumulated combustible vegetation, weeds, and debris under the Philadelphia Property M...
Philadelphia County, PA
Philadelphia County prohibits open burning of yard waste, leaves, trash, and construction debris under the Philadelphia Air Management Code. Only small recre...
See how Philadelphia County's garage sale permits rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.