Berwyn, IL Sign Regulations: Garage Sale Signs (2026)

Section 1476.06(B)(3) of the Berwyn Code of Ordinances governs garage and yard sale signs, and it sits in the list of temporary signs exempt from the permit requirement. The code defines the sign as a sign advertising the sale of items typically held in a garage or yard. Signs are permitted in all residential zoning districts, one per street frontage, so a corner house gets two. Each sign is capped at 12 square feet in area. The display window is two days before the event, with removal within one day after the event.

The sale itself is limited separately by § 1244.05(B)(3): garage and yard sales run for a period of two consecutive days, a residence gets a maximum of two sales in any 12-month period, and sales are held between March and October only. Add the sign window and a single sale keeps a sign up for at most five days.

Placement matters as much as size. Section 1476.03(C)(1) allows signs on public property only when placed by a government agency or the Building Director, and any sign placed there without authorization can be removed without notice, which covers parkways and utility strips. Signs go on private property only with the owner's prior consent under § 1476.03(C)(2). Section 1476.07(L) bans snipe signs, defined as signs affixed, posted, painted or pasted to a tree, utility pole, hydrant, bench, fence, stake, trash receptacle, sidewalk, curb, parkway, street or median. In residential districts no sign can exceed three feet in height within 25 feet of two or more intersecting streets, and § 1476.06(A)(1) requires temporary signs to stay unlit.