Spring Garage Sale Rules by City (2026)

Permits, Frequency Limits & Sign Rules

456 locations3 strict320 moderate48 permissive

Find the rules for your area:

Find out if you need a permit for a garage sale, how many you can hold per year, and where you can post signs in your city.

The table below breaks down the rules across 47 states and 456 cities and counties. Every entry is based on the actual municipal code for that location, not a guess or a generic template. Click any location to see the full ordinance details, including fines, exceptions, and local FAQs.

Rules by State

Each state is colored by the most common local rule. Click a state to see the cities and counties we cover there.

State	Locations	Strict	Moderate	Permissive	Overall
California	115	-	105	10	Some Restrictions
Texas	48	-	30	18	Some Restrictions
Florida	47	-	45	2	Some Restrictions
Illinois	20	-	20	-	Some Restrictions
North Carolina	20	1	19	-	Some Restrictions
Wisconsin	20	-	19	1	Some Restrictions
Arizona	19	-	16	3	Some Restrictions
Washington	18	-	13	5	Some Restrictions
Georgia	16	-	11	5	Some Restrictions
New Jersey	16	-	16	-	Some Restrictions
Colorado	15	-	15	-	Some Restrictions
New York	12	-	11	1	Some Restrictions
Virginia	12	-	9	3	Some Restrictions
Michigan	11	-	10	1	Some Restrictions
Missouri	10	-	9	1	Some Restrictions
Tennessee	9	1	8	-	Some Restrictions
Utah	9	-	9	-	Some Restrictions
Louisiana	8	-	7	1	Some Restrictions
Massachusetts	8	-	7	1	Some Restrictions
Ohio	7	-	7	-	Some Restrictions
Nevada	6	-	5	1	Some Restrictions
Oklahoma	6	-	6	-	Some Restrictions
Idaho	5	-	4	1	Some Restrictions
Indiana	5	-	5	-	Some Restrictions
Kansas	5	1	4	-	Some Restrictions
Maryland	5	-	1	4	Few Restrictions
Pennsylvania	5	-	5	-	Some Restrictions
South Carolina	5	-	5	-	Some Restrictions
Alabama	4	-	4	-	Some Restrictions
Arkansas	4	-	3	1	Some Restrictions
Connecticut	4	-	4	-	Some Restrictions
Oregon	4	-	4	-	Some Restrictions
Minnesota	3	-	3	-	Some Restrictions
Rhode Island	3	-	3	-	Some Restrictions
Delaware	2	-	2	-	Some Restrictions
Iowa	2	-	1	1	Some Restrictions
Mississippi	2	-	2	-	Some Restrictions
New Mexico	2	-	2	-	Some Restrictions
Alaska	1	-	1	-	Some Restrictions
District of Columbia	1	-	1	-	Some Restrictions
Kentucky	1	-	1	-	Some Restrictions
Maine	1	-	-	1	Few Restrictions
Nebraska	1	-	1	-	Some Restrictions
New Hampshire	1	-	-	1	Few Restrictions
West Virginia	1	-	1	-	Some Restrictions
Montana	0	-	-	-	Heavy Restrictions
North Dakota	0	-	-	-	Heavy Restrictions

How Cities Compare

These rankings are based on verified municipal code data, not opinion. A "strict" rating means the city has heavy restrictions, high fines, or outright bans. "Permissive" means few or no local restrictions beyond state law.

Most Restrictive

1
Fayetteville, NCThree per residence
Fayetteville issues no more than three yard sale permits to one residence or household in a calendar year, and each permit covers no more than two consecutive days. A fourth permit requires proof of a change in property ownership.
2
Overland Park, KS
Overland Park caps garage sales at two per household at the same location each calendar year. Joint sales with neighbors count against every participating residence. Estate and moving sales can earn a third sale by written approval.
3
Clarksville, TN
Section 5-607 caps yard and garage sales at two per year per holder, each no longer than three consecutive days. The building official keeps the record of when and where sales are held, so the count is tracked.

Fewest Restrictions

1
Delano, CAYes (DMC §6.22.030)
Garage sales in Delano require a permit issued by the Finance Director. Delano Municipal Code §6.22.030 sets the fee at $5 for the first and second permit and $10 for the third and fourth during any 12-month period.
2
Clark County, NVNone, if within limits
Unincorporated Clark County does not require a permit or business license for a residential garage sale. The county's peddler and secondhand-dealer license laws both exempt sales of a resident's own used goods held four days or less per half year.
3
Nashua, NHNone required
Nashua doesn't require a permit to hold a garage or yard sale, and the city's sign code specifically exempts temporary signs advertising them from the sign permit process entirely.
4
Lakewood, WA
Lakewood, Pierce County, does not set a fixed number of garage sales per year or a maximum number of sale days. The city's business-license code exempts residential garage or yard sales "of a typical size and duration," and its land use code lists yard sales as a permitted accessory use in residential zones.
5
Loudoun County, VAnone, for a residential yard sale
Loudoun County does not require a peddler, pawnbroker, secondhand-dealer, or precious-metals permit for a yard sale on your own residential property. The county's licensing chapter carves out an express exemption, so there's no county permit, fee, or Sheriff registration needed to run a garage sale at your house.
6
Mohave County, AZTwo, ≤4 sq ft, ≤5 days
Mohave County has no dedicated garage-sale cleanup ordinance, but leftover merchandise, tables, and stray signs can be pursued as a nuisance. Sale signs are capped at two, each four square feet, for no more than five days.
7
Monroe County, NYNone, if exempt
Garage, basement, porch and yard sales at your own home are exempt from Monroe County's secondhand-dealer license, so no county permit is needed for an occasional sale.
8
Norfolk County, MA
Norfolk County does not regulate garage sales. Most member municipalities require no permit for residential yard sales. A few towns (Brookline, Milton) require free registration or have signage restrictions.
9
Butte County, CANone; exempt under Sec. 24-174(B)(1)
Butte County exempts garage sales held in residential zones from the Administrative Permit required for every other temporary use under Zoning Code Section 24-174. The code sets no cap on how many garage sales a resident may hold per year and no maximum duration, unlike seasonal produce stands under the same section.
10
San Rafael, CANone (exempt)
San Rafael exempts garage and yard sales on private property entirely from its peddler, solicitor, and itinerant merchant permit chapter, so no city permit is required to hold one.

All 456 Locations

Every city and county below has verified ordinance data for this topic. Click any location for the full breakdown including fines, exceptions, and local FAQs.

Frequently Asked Questions

These questions come from the most common things people ask about this topic across different cities.

How many garage sales can I have per year in Waukesha?

Three. Municipal Code Sec. 22.58(2) limits any dwelling to three rummage or garage sales per calendar year, and each one can run no longer than four consecutive days.

Do I need a permit for a garage sale?

No. Rummage sales, which the Code also calls garage sales, do not require the issuance of a building permit as long as they stay within the four-day, three-times-a-year limits.

Can I sell items I bought specifically to resell at my garage sale?

Not under the rummage-sale exemption. The Code defines a rummage sale as an occasional sale of personal property that does not involve merchandise acquired for resale; that kind of recurring resale activity falls under the separate flea-market definition instead.

How many garage sales can I hold per year in Brentwood?

Brentwood Municipal Code Section 17.850.006(E) exempts garage sales from the temporary use permit requirement, but only up to three sales per calendar year at a given property, with each sale limited to two consecutive days. A fourth sale, or a sale that runs three days straight, is no longer exempt and has no permit pathway under the temporary use chapter.

Do I need a permit for a single two-day garage sale?

No. As long as the sale is one of no more than three that year and lasts two consecutive days or fewer, Section 17.850.006(E) exempts it from the citywide temporary use permit process entirely, so no application or community development director review is required before you hold it.

What happens if my sale runs longer than two days?

A garage sale that runs past two consecutive days no longer fits the exemption in Section 17.850.006(E), and Section 17.850.004 bars any temporary use from being conducted without a valid permit. Because residential garage sales are not among the uses the community development director can approve under Section 17.850.007, exceeding the limit leaves the sale simply unauthorized rather than permittable another way.

What time can I start my garage sale in Santa Ana?

8:00 a.m., not a minute earlier. Section 41-193(2) sets a fixed 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. window for garage sale activity, so early setup or shopping before 8 a.m. is a code violation even on a properly scheduled sale weekend.

Can I set up garage sale tables on the sidewalk in front of my house?

No. Section 41-193(3) bars garage sale activity from public sidewalks, parkways, streets and alleys. Everything, tables, merchandise, signage on display, has to stay on private property, typically the driveway, yard or porch.