Portland does not require a permit to hold a residential yard sale or to post yard-sale signs on private property. Signs in the public right-of-way fall under Maine's categorical-sign law (23 M.R.S. §1913-A): max 4 ft × 8 ft, must show the placer's name/address and date, and must come down promptly. Signs may not be tacked to utility poles, traffic devices, trees, or street furniture.
There is no Portland Code chapter that licenses garage/yard sales or that requires a permit for the signs that advertise them; Portland regulates them through general temporary-sign rules in Chapter 14 (Land Use) and through the state Categorical Signs statute (23 M.R.S. §1913-A) where the sign is in the public right-of-way. Practical rules: (1) signs on the host's own private property are exempt from permit; (2) signs on the right-of-way (terrace, public sidewalk verge) may not exceed 4 ft × 8 ft, must be marked with the name and address of the person who placed them plus the date erected, and are subject to the 30-ft same-message spacing requirement; (3) signs may not be affixed to utility poles, traffic-control devices, trees, medians under 6 ft wide, or rotary islands; (4) signs must be removed promptly after the sale ends — the statute treats abandoned signs as litter subject to summary removal. Posting on another private owner's property without permission is trespass under 17-A M.R.S. §402.
Right-of-way signs that violate §1913-A may be summarily removed by Maine DOT or Portland Public Works; removal costs may be assessed against the placer. Portland Land Use Code violations carry civil penalties of $100–$2,500 per day under 30-A M.R.S. §4452. Attaching signs to utility poles can also subject the placer to claims by the pole owner.
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