New Castle County property maintenance rules apply to yard sale conduct: merchandise must be displayed neatly, cleaned up same-day after sale hours, and signs removed within 24 hours. Unsold items left visible between sale days can trigger blight citations under NCC Code Chapter 9. Signs on utility poles or public right-of-way violate UDC sign rules and 17 Del.C. right-of-way provisions.
Garage and yard sales in New Castle County are subject to general property maintenance standards under NCC Code Chapter 9 rather than sale-specific regulations. The county expects merchandise to be organized and displayed in a manner that does not create blighted conditions. Items must be taken in or stored out of public view at the end of each sale day; leaving clothes, furniture, and household goods out overnight in the front yard between sale days is a common trigger for blight citations. After the sale concludes, all unsold items must be removed from public view, and sellers should donate unsold goods (Goodwill Delaware, Salvation Army, ReStore) or arrange bulk pickup with their hauler. Yard sale signs are regulated under UDC Article 40 sign rules: small temporary signs are allowed on your own property and at directional locations with landowner permission, but signs affixed to utility poles, traffic signs, or placed in the public right-of-way are prohibited under both UDC and 17 Del.C. §1361. Signs must be removed within 24 hours of the sale ending. Repeat violators or chronic clutter generators may receive escalating fines. Properties with a pattern of visible clutter, not just during sales, may be cited as nuisance properties under Chapter 9.
Items left visible between sale days: blight citation $50 to $200 under NCC Chapter 9. Signs not removed within 24 hours: $25 to $100 UDC sign violation. Signs on utility poles or in right-of-way: $25 to $100 plus removal by public works. Chronic nuisance: escalating fines and repeat-offender status.
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