Cobb County, GA Sign Regulations: Garage Sale Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Exempt sign at your residence
- 6 sq ft or smaller, no permit needed
- Aggregate cap
- 20 sq ft total signage per residential property
- Off-site sign (e.g. corner lot)
- 12 sq ft max, owner's permission required
- Right-of-way placement
- banned; removable without notice
- First violation penalty
- up to $200 fine, up to 60 days jail
- Repeat violations
- $300, then $650, then $1,000
- Governing area
- unincorporated Cobb County only
Summary
In unincorporated Cobb County, a garage-sale sign posted at your own residence is exempt from the sign permit process only if it is six square feet or smaller and the total of all signs on the property stays under 20 square feet. A sign posted elsewhere, like a neighbor's yard or a street corner, cannot exceed 12 square feet and needs that landowner's express permission.
The following signs are exempt from all provisions of this article but must meet other applicable county ordinances: (a)One non-permanent sign smaller than 12 square feet in area may be posted on any parcel of land but, as with all signs, only with the express permission of the property owner or authorized tenant;... (d)Any sign of six square feet or smaller that is posted by a county resident at the location of their residence, so long as the total square footage of all signs on such property does not exceed 20 square feet;
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 53).
Full Breakdown
Cobb County treats a garage-sale sign like any other temporary sign: it needs a permit under Sec. 134-313 unless it fits one of the exemptions codified at Sec. 134-315. Two of those exemptions cover the situations sellers actually run into. First, under Sec. 134-315(d), a sign of six square feet or smaller posted by a county resident at their own residence is exempt from the entire sign article, so long as the combined area of every sign already on that property stays at or under 20 square feet.
Second, under Sec. 134-315(a), a single non-permanent sign up to 12 square feet may be posted on any other parcel, such as a corner lot pointing traffic toward the sale, but only with the express permission of that parcel's owner or authorized tenant; Sec. 134-314(n) separately bans posting any sign without that consent. Both exemptions still require the sign to sit on private property. Section 134-314(b) prohibits any sign, exempt or not, on the public right-of-way, including medians, sidewalks, curbs and utility poles, and Sec.
134-314(c) caps any sign on a residential or vacant parcel at 12 square feet regardless of the exemption. Push past the six-square-foot residence limit, the 20-square-foot aggregate, or the 12-square-foot off-site limit, and the sign loses its exempt status and needs a full sign permit through the community development agency under Sec. 134-343, with site plans, an application fee set by the board of commissioners' fee schedule, and a 45-day review window. This sign rule is separate from the county's three-weekend-per-year cap on holding the sale itself under the personal-property-sales provisions.
It also applies only inside unincorporated Cobb County: Marietta, Smyrna, Kennesaw, Acworth, Powder Springs and Austell each administer their own sign codes for residents inside city limits.
Violations & Fines
A sign that exceeds the exempt thresholds or sits on the right-of-way is a public nuisance under Sec. 134-348(c). Enforcement personnel, including the zoning division manager, can order removal by certified mail; you get five days to comply after receipt, or ten days if the notice isn't signed for. Right-of-way signs can be removed immediately without notice. A first citation carries up to a $200 fine and up to 60 days in jail; a second violation within 12 months is $300, a third is $650, and a fourth or later is $1,000.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to put up a garage-sale sign in unincorporated Cobb County?
Can I put a garage-sale sign in a neighbor's yard or at a nearby intersection?
What happens if my sign gets reported or found in violation?
Does this rule apply if I live in Marietta, Smyrna, or another Cobb city?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cobb County
Compare Cobb County to another location·View the Georgia sign regulations overview
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