El Dorado County, CA Sign Regulations: Garage Sale Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Max sales/year, single-unit address
- 4 sales
- Max days per sale
- 3 days
- Max total days/year
- 12 days
- Max sales/year, multi-unit (per unit)
- 2 sales
- Sign posting window
- 1 day before sale only
- Prohibited sign locations
- Poles, streetlights, traffic signs, ROW
Summary
El Dorado County allows garage sales by right for residents, capped at four sales and 12 total days a year per single-unit address, three days per sale. Advertising signs under Section 130.40.220(E) can't go up more than a day before the sale, must come down at close of business, and can't be posted on utility poles, streetlights or traffic signs.
3.Single-unit residential dwellings shall be allowed a maximum of four garage sales per calendar year at the same address. Each garage sale may be allowed for up to 3 days and shall not exceed a total of 12 days per calendar year at the same address.4.Multi-unit residential dwellings shall be allowed a maximum of two garage sales per calendar year per legal dwelling unit.5.Garage sale advertising signs shall comply with the standards under Subsection 130.40.210.C.5 (Temporary Outdoor Retail Sales, Signs) above in this Chapter as to duration and with Chapter 130.16 (Signs) in Article 3 (Site Planning and Project Design Standards) of this Title, and further shall not be posted on telephone poles, streetlights, traffic signs, or any other structure or location within the public right-of-way.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 13 Update 4).
Full Breakdown
220(E) treats garage sales as a by-right temporary outdoor retail use limited to the residents of the property. A single-unit residential address can hold up to four garage sales a calendar year, each running no more than three days, for a combined yearly maximum of 12 days at that address; multi-unit residential properties are instead capped at two sales per calendar year per legal dwelling unit. Only used household goods, wares or merchandise qualify, items bought elsewhere for resale are not allowed, and the sale itself cannot spill into the public right-of-way, meaning no setup on streets, sidewalks, parkways or alleys.
Advertising signs for the sale follow the same placement and duration rules that apply to other temporary outdoor retail sales: they can go up no earlier than one day before the first day of the sale and must come down at the close of business on the last day. Signs cannot be posted on telephone poles, streetlights, traffic signs, or any other structure or location within the public right-of-way, regardless of how briefly the sale runs. 060.
Violations & Fines
Exceeding four sales or 12 total days a year at the same single-unit address, or posting signs on utility poles, streetlights, traffic signs or elsewhere in the public right-of-way, turns the event into an unpermitted temporary use. Section 130.40.220(E)(6) requires a Temporary Use Permit under Section 130.52.060 once the by-right standards are exceeded, and unpermitted signage in the right-of-way can be removed by the County.
Frequently Asked Questions
How early can I put up my garage sale signs?
Can I post a garage sale sign on a stop sign or streetlight?
How many garage sales can I hold in a year?
Can I sell items I bought somewhere else to resell?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in El Dorado County
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