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

Sec. 37-420 of the Champaign Code of Ordinances, in Division 3 of the sign article covering signs permitted in all districts without a permit, sets three concrete limits on garage sale and auction signage. First, a size cap: signs announcing auctions and garage sales cannot exceed 5 square feet in area, well below the 6-square-foot allowance the same division gives ordinary temporary residential signs under Sec. 37-421(g). Second, a timing window: such signs may be posted no more than two days before the event and must be removed within two days after it ends, meaning the outer bound on display, even accounting for a multi-day sale, is six total days.

Third, a placement restriction: garage sale and auction signs cannot be attached to or located on public property, which rules out utility poles, street signs, stop signs, and the public right-of-way generally, consistent with the citywide right-of-way sign ban addressed elsewhere in Division 4. Because this section sits in Division 3 (signs permitted without a permit), no permit application or fee applies to a compliant garage sale sign, unlike the special-event or subdivision identification signs regulated a few sections earlier that do require Zoning Administrator sign-off.