Yakima, WA Property Maintenance: Garage Sale Rules (2026)

Yakima has no dedicated garage-sale ordinance. The relevant framework is: (1) Business license / vendor permit — YMC Chapter 5.52 requires a business license for persons 'engag[ing] in business' in the city; YMC Chapter 5.57 governs 'Mobile Food Vendors' (YMC 5.57.010 defines a 'Mobile vendor' as 'a vendor or seller of goods, merchandise, or food from a mobile food preparation vehicle or other motorized conveyance upon the public streets, alleys, public property of the city, or upon private property'). A homeowner holding an occasional residential garage sale of personal items is not engaging in a 'business' under the WA Department of Revenue casual-sale rule (RCW 82.04.040 'business' definition; WAC 458-20-106 'casual or isolated sales'), and therefore needs no city business license. (2) State sales tax — under RCW 82.04.040 and WAC 458-20-106, casual and isolated sales by a non-registered seller are exempt from Washington retail sales tax under RCW 82.08.020. However, there is no complementary use-tax exemption, so the buyer may owe use tax under WAC 458-20-178. (3) Signs — YMC 15.08.110 treats yard-sale signs as 'temporary signs' (no permit required). Size limits in single-family zones: 4 sq ft and 5 ft if post-mounted, 3 ft if stake or portable (YMC 15.08.110(E)(2)(i)). Off-premise signs in the city ROW are allowed only between the property line and the back of the curb on stakes manually pushed into the ground, with the abutting landowner's approval, capped at 4 sq ft and 3 ft, not on sidewalks (YMC 15.08.110(D)). Signs may not be attached to utility poles, fences, or other city property (YMC 15.08.070(K)). Signs must be removed promptly after the event (YMC 15.08.110(H)). (4) Sales tax obligation for repeat/commercial-scale operations — recurring sales that resemble a business may require registration with the WA DOR and a Yakima business license under YMC Chapter 5.52. (5) HOAs — CC&R limitations on garage-sale frequency, hours and signage are privately enforced under the WA Common Interest Ownership Act (RCW 64.90) for newer communities or under RCW 64.38 (Homeowners' Associations) for older planned communities. (6) Parking and traffic safety — under YMC Title 9 traffic rules, garage-sale traffic must not block fire lanes, fire hydrants (RCW 46.61.570 / YMC 9.50), or impede the public way. Yakima County does not impose a separate residential garage-sale permit.