New Orleans, LA Sign Regulations: Garage Sale Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Code of Ordinances § 134-122(3)
- Display cap
- 48 hours total, garage/moving/rummage signs
- Placement
- public right-of-way only, exceptions inclusive
- Initial penalty
- $10.00 per sign + removal cost invoice
- Appeal penalty
- up to $25/sign (up to $500 total)
Summary
New Orleans lets garage, moving, and rummage-sale signs go up in the public right-of-way, but Sec. 134-122(3) of the Code of Ordinances caps their total display time at 48 hours; any sign left up longer, or placed without meeting the temporary-sign exceptions, is illegal and can be seized and invoiced to the person it advertises.
The following temporary signage, when not prohibited by any other provision of law, may be placed on the public right-of-way. The following exceptions are inclusive, no other temporary signage shall be permitted: ... (3) The placement of signs for garage, moving, or rummage sales, provided that such signs are not displayed for more than a total of 48 hours.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 116 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 134-121 makes it generally unlawful to place any sign on a public street, sidewalk, neutral ground, alley or other public right-of-way without the city's written consent. Sec. " The same section separately allows political campaign signs (48 hours before an election to 48 hours after the polls close), open-house real estate signs (48 hours), movie-location signs (48 hours), community-meeting notices (up to five days before the meeting), and lost-and-found pet notices (up to ten days), each with its own time cap, so a garage-sale sign cannot borrow a longer window from one of the other categories.
Any sign placed on the right-of-way outside these listed exceptions, or a garage-sale sign left up past the 48-hour total, is an unlawful sign that "shall be immediately seized and removal thereof by anyone is hereby authorized," with the departments of sanitation and parks and parkways responsible for devising the removal system.
Violations & Fines
Under Sec. 134-130, the department of sanitation or parks and parkways may invoice whoever is depicted or advertised on an illegal sign for removal costs, plus a $10.00-per-sign penalty. A recipient can appeal in writing within ten days; if found guilty at that hearing, the fine rises to up to $25.00 per sign (up to $50.00 if posted on a tree), capped at $500.00 total per case, plus at least five hours of community service per sign.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in New Orleans
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