Apple Valley, MN Sign Regulations: Garage Sale Signs (2026)

Garage sale signs are regulated in Chapter 154, Sign Regulations, of the Apple Valley Code of Ordinances. Section 154.03(M), which lists signs allowed without a permit or permit fees and was last amended by Ord. 1128 on 1-11-24, sets three limits. Signs advertising garage sales are limited to a maximum of three days for each sale. A household can hold no more than three sales each calendar year. Each sign shall not exceed three square feet in area.

Placement is controlled by § 154.05(F), part of the prohibited signs section (amended by Ord. 1091, passed 6-10-21). Open house, garage sale and for sale signs shall not be placed on street rights-of-way, easements, roadway surface, sidewalks, medians and decorative surfaces. Any sign so placed, as detailed in Appendix A of Chapter 154, is determined to be in violation of the sign regulations, a nuisance and a traffic hazard. Appendix A lists prohibited locations on 147th Street West and 153rd Street West from Galaxie Avenue to Pennock Avenue, Cedar Avenue from 147th Street West to 153rd Street West, County Road #42 from Galaxie Avenue to Pennock Avenue, Galaxie Avenue from 147th Street West to 153rd Street West, and Pennock Avenue from 147th Street West to 153 Street West. Section 154.05(E) adds that no permanent or temporary sign shall be upon or overhang the public right-of-way or the boundary of adjacent property, other than traffic signs erected by the city, county or state.

The practical result in the City of Apple Valley, Dakota County, Minnesota, is that a garage sale sign belongs on the seller's own or a consenting owner's private property, for at most three days, and a sign left in the boulevard or on a listed corridor is a code violation. The City Building Official and inspectors, or employees appointed by the City Council, enforce the chapter under § 154.07(B).