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

Mendocino County's inland Sign Regulations (Chapter 20.184) do not list garage sale or yard sale signs as a separate, expressly exempt category. Such signs are treated as temporary signs, which under Chapter 20.184 generally may not exceed a total of 32 square feet and are intended for display of less than 90 days. The exempt-sign list in Section 20.184.035 covers legally required directional or informational signs, official notices, house numbers, flags and works of art, but not garage or yard sale advertising. In practice, small, short-duration garage-sale signs on the seller's own private property and removed promptly after the sale are the lowest-risk approach. Signs may not be placed in the public right-of-way (medians, road shoulders, utility poles), where the County or road authority can remove them. Along state highways such as Highway 1 and Highway 101, Caltrans Outdoor Advertising rules apply, generally prohibiting off-site temporary advertising signs in the right-of-way. In the unincorporated Coastal Zone, signage is governed by the Coastal Zoning Code and visual-resource standards rather than Chapter 20.184. Because there is no dedicated garage-sale-sign section, residents should keep signs small, on private property, and removed quickly, and should confirm any coastal-zone requirements with Planning & Building Services.