Berkeley allows occasional residential garage sales but requires sites to be cleaned up promptly and prohibits storing merchandise, signs, or leftover goods in yards or on sidewalks.
Occasional garage, yard, and estate sales are permitted at residential properties in Berkeley without a business license, but the activity must remain genuinely occasional (typically no more than a few per year) and cannot be a de facto commercial operation. Under BMC Title 20 zoning and BMC 14.48 blight rules, merchandise must be set out only on the sale day and stored out of sight between sales. Items left in yards, driveways, or public right of way after the sale concludes can trigger nuisance citations. Parking and traffic cannot block sidewalks, driveways, or create hazards, and signs must be removed promptly (see Berkeley sign rules). Complaints of ongoing sales may be referred to Code Enforcement for zoning and business-license review.
Contact your local code enforcement office for specific penalty information.
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