Durham does not require a permit for residential garage or yard sales. Sales are limited in frequency, typically to no more than four per year per household. Items must be displayed on private property and may not encroach onto sidewalks or the public right-of-way. Signs advertising the sale must comply with temporary sign regulations.
Durham property maintenance code applies to garage and yard sales to prevent blight conditions. Merchandise must be displayed in an organized manner, not scattered across the yard. Tables, racks, and display items must be removed or stored out of public view by the end of sale hours each day. Unsold items cannot be left at the curb or in the front yard between sale days or after the sale concludes. Signs must be removed within 24 hours of the sale ending. Properties that develop a pattern of visible clutter may receive blight citations.
Items left out after sale: $50 to $200 blight citation. Signs not removed: $25 to $50. Habitual violations: escalating fines.
Durham, NC
Durham caps daytime sound at 60 dBA (8 AM to 11 PM) and nighttime sound at 50 dBA (11 PM to 8 AM) under Ch. 26, Sec. 26-23. Measured at property line using A...
Durham, NC
Durham UDO Section 9.9 limits residential fences to 4 feet in front yards and 8 feet in side and rear yards. Corner lots face additional restrictions along s...
Durham, NC
Durham does not require a permit for most residential fences or walls. Permits are required for retaining walls, pool barriers on single-family parcels, prop...
Durham, NC
Durham UDO Section 9.9 sets general fence standards including setbacks, orientation, and vision-clearance rules. Fences between structures and streets within...
Durham, NC
Durham requires a building permit for all retaining walls. Retaining walls over 4 feet at street frontage must be terraced in Design Districts. Walls over 8 ...
Durham, NC
Durham UDO 9.9 prohibits razor wire, concertina wire, and barbed wire in residential districts. Uncoated chain link is banned in CI and Design Districts.
See how Durham's garage sale rules rules stack up against other locations.
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