Pasadena, CA Sign Regulations: Garage Sale Signs (2026)

Section 17.48.120 (Standards for Temporary Signs) governs yard sale signage through Table 4-22, which lists the "Yard sale sign" as its own category: "1 sign per street frontage," a maximum area of "3 sq. ft.," a height cap of "4 ft.," and a duration limited to "2 days within a 30-day period." The table's additional-requirements column is specific about placement: the sign "shall be placed only on property where sale is held," so it cannot be posted at a street corner, a neighbor's yard, a utility pole, or any other off-site location to draw traffic toward the sale. A yard sale sign is a residential temporary sign under the table, and it counts against the combined limit that applies across sign types in a residential zone: "Commercial, noncommercial and temporary signs shall not exceed a total of 25 sq. ft." per dwelling unit, so it shares that cumulative allowance with any other temporary or noncommercial signage on the property.

The general placement and construction standards in subsections D through G apply on top of the table entry. Signs are "allowed on private property only" and "shall not be placed in public rights-of-way or at off-site locations," which rules out posting directional yard sale signs on street medians, telephone poles, or vacant lots elsewhere in the neighborhood. Illumination is barred outright: "Signs shall not be illuminated." Materials must be "durable, rigid material suitable to their location and purpose," with only interior window signs permitted to use nonrigid material like paper, and any sign placed under this section "shall be promptly removed" once its allowed period ends. No Temporary Sign Permit is required for a yard sale sign, unlike the promotional banners and future-tenant signs also covered by Section 17.48.120 in commercial districts.