Madera County, CA Sign Regulations: Garage Sale Signs (2026)

The Madera County Zoning Code does not contain a separate garage-sale or yard-sale sign provision, so temporary sale signs are governed by the general Sign Regulations in Chapter 18.90. Under Section 18.90.020, signs may be erected in the unincorporated county only as expressly permitted. For residential zone districts, Section 18.90.110 sets the total allowable sign area visible from adjacent properties or streets at eight square feet per parcel, with no single sign exceeding four square feet in area or six feet in height (the larger 32-square-foot allowance is reserved specifically for campaign signs, not commercial or sale signs). Section 18.90.040 prohibits placing signs on public property, which means garage-sale signs may not be stapled to utility poles, posted on county road signs, or staked in the public right-of-way, and Section 18.90.050 prohibits signs that create traffic hazards or block sight lines. Off-premises advertising signs generally require a zoning permit under Section 18.90.020, so directional garage-sale signs placed on someone else's property or along roadways can be problematic. Nonconforming or unlawfully placed signs are subject to removal: Section 18.90.090 makes violations actionable and Section 18.90.100 authorizes summary abatement. The practical guidance is to keep a garage-sale sign on the sale property, within the small residential size limits, and take it down promptly after the sale.