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DeKalb County, GA Sign Regulations: Garage Sale Signs (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified August 2026

Key Facts

Signs allowed
Two (2) maximum
Location
Private property, owner's OK
Prohibited spot
Right-of-way, utility poles
Removal deadline
Immediately after sale
Purchased items pickup
Within 24 hours
Adopted
Ord. No. 15-06 (8-25-2015)

Summary

DeKalb County's zoning ordinance allows exactly two temporary signs for a yard sale, both on private property with the owner's permission, never in the public right-of-way or on a utility pole, and both removed immediately once the sale wraps up.

These county ordinances apply to unincorporated areas of DeKalb County. Incorporated cities within the county may have their own rules that take precedence over county-level regulations.

Two (2) temporary signs are permitted during the yard sale, provided that such signs shall be on private property with permission of the owner, not within the public right-of-way or attached to a utility pole. Signs must be removed immediately following the conclusion of the sale.2.All unsold yard sale merchandise remaining at the conclusion of the sale must be removed immediately. Purchased yard sale merchandise must be removed within twenty-four (24) hours of conclusion of the sale. (Ord. No. 15-06, 8-25-2015)

Source: Municode LibraryView official code

Full Breakdown

Section 4.3.6.B.1 of the DeKalb County zoning ordinance sets a hard count: two (2) temporary signs are permitted during the yard sale, and no more. The placement conditions stack. Each sign must sit on private property, and the owner of that property must give permission, so directing traffic from a neighbor's corner lot requires that neighbor's okay first. Two locations are flatly prohibited regardless of permission: the public right-of-way and utility poles. Together those bans rule out the familiar tactics of staking a sign in the strip along the road or fastening one to the pole at an intersection.

The timing rule is just as strict as the count. Signs are allowed during the sale, and they must be removed immediately following its conclusion, with no grace period for leaving them up over the following days.

The same subsection reaches past signs into cleanup after the sale. All unsold yard sale merchandise remaining at the conclusion of the sale must be removed immediately, and merchandise a buyer purchased must be picked up within twenty-four (24) hours of the sale's conclusion, so a sold item cannot sit out front for days waiting on its buyer. These requirements were adopted through Ord. No. 15-06 on 8-25-2015 and apply in the unincorporated county.

Violations & Fines

Posting more than two signs, placing a sign in the right-of-way or on a utility pole, or leaving signs up after the sale ends violates Section 4.3.6.B.1, as does leaving unsold merchandise out after the sale concludes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many yard sale signs can I put up in DeKalb County?
Two. Section 4.3.6.B.1 of the zoning ordinance permits two temporary signs during the yard sale, on private property with the owner's permission.
Can I attach a yard sale sign to a utility pole?
No. The ordinance bars yard sale signs from utility poles and from the public right-of-way, even when only two signs are posted.
How fast do the signs have to come down?
Immediately following the conclusion of the sale. There is no allowance for leaving them up afterward.
What about leftover merchandise after the sale?
Unsold merchandise must be removed immediately when the sale concludes, and purchased merchandise must be removed within twenty-four (24) hours of the sale's conclusion.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in DeKalb County

All DeKalb County rules

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