Pacifica, CA Sign Regulations: Garage Sale Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- On-site sign limit
- 1 sign, up to 6 square feet
- Directional sign limit
- 2 signs, up to 3 square feet each
- Governing section
- Pacifica Municipal Code § 5-15.02(c)
- Duration
- Up to 3 calendar days, tied to sale
- Removal
- Immediately after sale ends or day 3
- Prohibited placement
- No public right-of-way, poles, or utility fixtures
Summary
In the City of Pacifica, a garage sale may carry one on-site sign of up to six square feet, posted for no more than three days and removed immediately once the sale ends. Pacifica Municipal Code Section 5-15.02(c) also allows two smaller off-site directional signs of up to three square feet each, but none may go on a utility pole, sign pole, or other public right-of-way fixture.
(c)One temporary sign not exceeding six (6) square feet in area advertising a garage sale on the premises where the sign is posted shall be permitted for a period not to exceed three (3) calendar days. The removal of such sign shall occur immediately upon the conclusion of the garage sale or at the end of the third calendar day, whichever occurs first. Two (2) temporary signs, not exceeding three (3) square feet in area, for the purpose of directing traffic to a residential garage sale shall be permitted at locations other than on the premises where the garage sale is being conducted. Such signs may be posted for not more than three (3) continuous calendar days coinciding with the days of the conduct of the sale. None of such permitted signs shall be placed in a public right-of-way nor be attached to any public property in a public right-of-way, including, but not limited to, utility poles, sign poles, walls, buildings, or trees.
Full Breakdown
02(c) gives garage sale hosts a narrow, temporary carve-out from the City's standard sign rules in Title 9, Chapter 4, Article 29. 02(a). That sign must come down immediately once the sale ends or by the close of the third calendar day, whichever happens first. Separately, up to two off-site directional signs, each capped at three square feet, may be posted at other locations to point traffic toward the sale, again for no more than three continuous calendar days matching the sale dates. The subsection then draws a hard line on placement: none of the permitted signs, on-site or directional, may be placed within a public right-of-way or attached to public property within one, and the Code lists utility poles, sign poles, walls, buildings, and trees as examples of what counts as public property for this purpose.
Chapter 15 has no penalty section of its own, so a sign that is oversized, left up too long, or posted on a utility pole falls back on the Code's general violation provision.
Violations & Fines
Posting more than one on-site sign, exceeding the six-square-foot on-site or three-square-foot directional sign limits, leaving a sign up past the sale or past three days, or attaching a sign to a utility pole or other public right-of-way fixture violates Section 5-15.02(c). Chapter 15 has no penalty of its own, so the default infraction schedule in Section 1-2.01 applies, starting at a $100 fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big can my Pacifica garage sale sign be?
Can I put a garage sale sign on a utility pole in Pacifica?
When do I have to take my garage sale sign down?
Do garage sale signs need a separate permit in Pacifica?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pacifica
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Garage Sale Signs in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Mateo County handle garage sale signs.