Mesa County, CO Sign Regulations: Garage Sale Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit
- Not required if exempt criteria met
- Max sign size
- 6 sq ft on parcel under 1 acre
- Max signs per parcel
- 6 signs (under 1 acre)
- Yard sales per year
- 6 per household or structure
- Sale duration
- 4 consecutive days max
- Spacing between sales
- 30 days minimum
Summary
Mesa County treats a garage-sale sign as an exempt temporary sign: no permit needed if it isn't illuminated or permanent, tops out at six square feet, and is capped at six signs per parcel under one acre. Residential yard sales themselves are separately capped at six events a year, four consecutive days each, thirty days apart, under the Land Development Code.
4. A sign that is not illuminated, not digital or electronic and not permanent in nature; for example, one that is planted into the ground or affixed to an object or structure by temporary means, does not have a foundation, is made of lightweight and thin materials such as a single sheet of plastic, thin metal, plywood or paper, with the following limitation: a. On a parcel of less than one (1) acre, up to six (6) such signs are allowed, so long as each sign is not greater than six (6) square feet in area, except in that one of these signs may be up to thirty-two (32) square feet in area when construction is occurring on a parcel or a subdivision of land is being developed.
Full Breakdown
03(A)(4) of the 2020 Land Development Code (amended April 23, 2024) lists non-illuminated, non-digital, non-permanent signs, ones staked into the ground or attached by temporary means, without a foundation, and built of lightweight material such as plastic, thin metal, plywood or paper, as exempt from the county's sign permit requirement. On a parcel under one acre, up to six such signs are allowed at once, each no larger than six square feet. The code carves out one exception unrelated to garage sales: a single sign up to thirty-two square feet is allowed only while construction is underway or a subdivision is being developed, not for a weekend sale.
On a parcel of one acre or larger, the same six-square-foot cap applies per sign, with up to six signs per acre. 05(B)(7), Yard Sales, which limits residential sellers in the AFT, RSF-R, RSF-E, RSF-1, RSF-2, RSF-4, RMF-5, RMF-8, RMF-16 and RMF-24 zoning districts to six yard sales per calendar year for a single-family or duplex household, or six per structure for a multi-family building. Each sale can run a maximum of four consecutive days, and sales must be spaced at least thirty days apart.
Yard sales are exempt from permit requirements and from administrative review under this section, so a resident does not need Site Plan Review to hold one. 03 signs are permit-exempt, Community Development does not cite the sign itself unless it exceeds the size or count limits.
Violations & Fines
A garage-sale sign that tops six square feet, exceeds six signs on a sub-acre parcel, is illuminated, or falls outside the exempt criteria loses its Section 9.03 exemption and becomes an unpermitted sign under Section 11.02(A), a violation of the Land Development Code. Community Development issues written notice and allows 30 days to correct under Section 11.06(A); each additional day the sign stays up after that counts as a separate violation under Section 11.03.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit for a garage-sale sign in unincorporated Mesa County?
How many yard sales can I hold each year?
Can my garage-sale sign be bigger than six square feet?
Which zoning districts allow residential yard sales?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Mesa County
Compare Mesa County to another location·View the Colorado sign regulations overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.