Merced County, CA Property Maintenance: Garage Sale Rules (2026)

Garage and yard sales in the unincorporated county are governed by the Merced County Unified Development Ordinance (Zoning Code), specifically the Temporary Use Permits chapter (Chapter 18.124). Residential garage and yard sales for the purpose of selling used household merchandise are allowed not to exceed two, two-day events every three-month period. Because they are a minor, limited-duration temporary use, these sales are exempt from the Temporary Use Permit requirement — meaning no permit or application to the Planning and Community Development Department is needed for a qualifying residential sale. The sales must be incidental to a residence and involve used household goods rather than ongoing retail of new merchandise; a continuous or commercial-scale operation would not qualify as an exempt residential garage sale and could be treated as an unpermitted commercial use. Note that this is the County rule for unincorporated areas only — incorporated cities set their own rules. For example, the City of Los Banos limits garage/yard sales to four occurrences per 12-month period (max two consecutive days each), requires free advance registration, and imposes escalating fines of $100/$200/$500; those city rules do not apply outside the city limits.