Johnston County, NC Sign Regulations: Garage Sale Signs (2026)

Sec. 14-504 exempts a short list of sign types from the county's sign permit requirement, and yard or garage sale signs are item (8) on that list. The exemption covers signs 'announcing yard or garage sales,' capped at four square feet in area per display face and four feet in height if freestanding, and it comes with a hard removal deadline: the sign must come down within seven days of the sale. That exemption is conditional, not automatic. Sec. 14-504's opening line ties every exempt sign, including garage sale signs, to the general limitations in Sec.

14-505 and Sec. 14-506, so a garage sale sign still cannot sit in a clear-vision triangle at an intersection, use words like 'stop' or 'danger,' flash, or be posted in the public right-of-way, on a utility pole, or on a tree. If a garage sale sign oversteps the size, height, timing, or placement limits, it loses its exempt status and becomes an illegally erected sign under Sec. 14-503, which requires a permit for anything visible from a public right-of-way. Johnston County Planning & Zoning can remove noncompliant or overdue signs and bill the property owner for the removal cost.