Daly City, CA Sign Regulations: Garage Sale Signs (2026)

Daly City Municipal Code Chapter 8.44 (Garage Sales) sits in Title 8 (Health and Sanitation) and is the primary local rule for yard, garage, estate, moving, and rummage sales. DCMC 8.44.060 governs garage sale signs specifically, and is reinforced by the general sign-code prohibitions on right-of-way posting in DCMC 17.32.160 and 17.32.120 (which lists certain exempt signs). The city requires a Garage Sale Permit issued by the City Clerk before the sale; the permit application is published on the city website and identifies the rules a permittee must follow. Typical Daly City practice (consistent with how Chapter 8.44 is structured) is: garage sale signs may only be placed on the property of the sale itself and at the lawful residence of the property owner with written permission — not on utility poles, light standards, street trees, fences abutting the public sidewalk, traffic signs, mailboxes, public benches, or in the median or parkway strip; signs must be removed at the close of each sale day or at the conclusion of the sale; and only a limited number of sales are permitted per dwelling per calendar year. Off-premises directional signs in the public right-of-way are categorically prohibited under DCMC 17.32.160. Permits and signs are issued in the name of the resident, who is responsible for sign placement and removal under DCMC 8.44.060. State law does not preempt Daly City's garage sale sign rules: the California Vehicle Code prohibits signs on traffic-control devices (Veh. Code 21464) and the Streets and Highways Code prohibits unauthorized encroachments in the public right-of-way (Sts. & Hwys. Code 1450 et seq.), both of which reinforce the local prohibition on pole-stapling. Residents should consult the current Garage Sale Permit Application on the Daly City website for fee, day, and quantity limits in effect at the time of the sale.