Butte County, CA Sign Regulations: Garage Sale Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Signs allowed per residence
- 1, no permit needed
- Max area
- 16 sq ft
- Location
- Must be at the sale residence
- Right-of-way
- Prohibited, Sec. 24-103(E)
- General penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine / 6 months
Summary
A Butte County resident can post one garage sale sign without any permit. Section 24-101(A)(10) allows "one (1) garage sale sign at the residence where the garage sale is taking place, with a maximum area of sixteen (16) square feet," but the sign must stay on that property and cannot be planted in the road right-of-way, on a neighbor's parcel, or on a tree.
A.Types of Signs. The following signs are allowed without a permit and do not count towards the allowable area or number of signs on a site. ... 10.One (1) garage sale sign at the residence where the garage sale is taking place, with a maximum area of sixteen (16) 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 61).
Full Breakdown
" The exemption is tied to the residence hosting the sale: the code does not authorize additional directional signs at nearby intersections or on other parcels. Several of the county's general prohibited-sign rules in Section 24-103 still apply to a garage sale sign even though it needs no permit. Signs may not "encroach into any right-of-way or easement, means of ingress or egress, or path of travel" (Section 24-103(E)), may not be "attached to a tree" (Section 24-103(M)), and cannot "interfere with visibility for drivers at an intersection, public right-of-way, or driveway" (Section 24-103(J)).
" Because the garage sale exemption sets no time limit the way the temporary real estate and political sign rules in Section 24-108 do, the sign is not required to come down after a set number of days, but it loses its no-permit status if it exceeds sixteen square feet or is placed anywhere other than the sale residence.
Violations & Fines
A garage sale sign larger than sixteen square feet, posted away from the sale residence, staked in the public right-of-way, nailed to a tree, or blocking sight distance at an intersection loses its Section 24-101(A)(10) exemption and violates Section 24-103. Enforcement runs through Section 24-5(F) and Section 1-7: up to a $1,000 fine, six months' imprisonment, or both, with each day counted separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit for a garage sale sign in Butte County?
Can I put garage sale signs at the corner near my street to direct traffic?
Can I attach my garage sale sign to a utility pole or tree?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Butte County
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