Fort Myers, FL Property Maintenance: Garage Sale Rules (2026)

Fort Myers garage-sale regulations live in Code Chapter 66 (Sales), Article II (Garage Sales), as amended by Ordinance No. 3879. The defining limit is the frequency cap: no homeowner may hold more than two (2) garage, yard, estate, or moving sales per calendar year at the same property. The duration of any individual sale is generally limited under the same article (typically 3 consecutive days, the regional standard) to prevent residential properties from being operated as ongoing retail. Under the amended ordinance, the city no longer requires homeowners to register the sale and no longer issues garage-sale signs (homeowners post their own). No city permit is required. Sale of personal household property is not subject to local business tax. Sign rules continue to be governed by Land Development Code Chapter 126 (Signs): signs must be on-premise (located on the property where the sale is conducted), with the property owner's permission, never on public property or in the public right-of-way (swales, medians, parkway strips), and never attached to utility poles, traffic signs, fire hydrants, trees, shrubs, or fences. Off-premise signs are subject to immediate removal by Code Enforcement, police, or the city engineer. Signs must be taken down promptly when the sale ends. Violations of the 2-sales-per-year limit or the Chapter 126 sign rules are processed through Fort Myers Code Enforcement (1825 Hendry St., Suite 101; 239-321-7940) and adjudicated by the Special Magistrate under FS Chapter 162. The Special Magistrate may impose fines of up to $250/day for a first violation and up to $500/day for a repeat violation under FS 162.09.