Mebane, NC Sign Regulations: Garage Sale Signs (2026)

Mebane's sign ordinance exempts a limited class of temporary signs from its permit requirement in UDO Section 6-7.4(R). Subsection R.1.a lets a residential property owner place one sign with a face no larger than four square feet on residential property at any time, which is the provision covering a garage-sale, yard-sale or moving-sale sign posted in a yard: it needs no sign permit, no electrical permit since it is unlit, and no advance notice to the Zoning Administrator. Nonresidential property gets a slightly larger allowance under R.1.b: up to two signs per street frontage, each capped at four square feet, with a citywide maximum of four such signs on one lot at a time.

These 'allowed at any time' signs are distinct from the code's other temporary-sign categories, which do carry time limits: a for-sale or for-lease sign must come down within 72 hours of closing under Section 6-7.4(R)(2)(b), a construction-project sign must come down within 72 hours of a final-inspection request under Section 6-7.4(R)(3), and a promotional banner or pennant can run no more than 40 days and only four times a year per lot under Section 6-7.4(R)(5). Every sign, including an exempt temporary one, still has to meet the citywide sight-distance and right-of-way clearance rules set by the North Carolina Department of Transportation and the City, and exempt signs must be kept in good condition; one found in violation, for instance blocking a sidewalk or a driver's line of sight, can be ordered corrected or removed.