Tuscaloosa, AL Sign Regulations: Garage Sale Signs (2026)

The City of Tuscaloosa does not have a section dedicated to garage-sale or yard-sale signs. Such temporary signs are treated under the general billboards-and-signs provisions of Chapter 24, Article X (Sec. 24-130 through Sec. 24-134). Under the last paragraph of Sec. 24-131, a sign that is not legible from the right-of-way is not subject to the sign standards, which generally covers a small sign placed in your own yard. The code's general provisions still control location and maintenance, and signs may not be placed in the public right-of-way, on utility poles, or where they block sight triangles at intersections and driveways. A garage-sale sign should be posted on private property with the owner's permission and removed promptly after the sale. On state-controlled roads, Alabama law is stricter: Ala. Code § 23-1-6 reserves state-highway rights-of-way for official signs, and § 32-5A-36 treats an unauthorized sign placed in view of a highway as a public nuisance subject to removal by ALDOT. The pending zoning rewrite proposes a clearer temporary-yard-sign standard (limited number, small size, set back from the curb), but those specific limits are part of an unadopted draft and are not currently enforceable. When in doubt about size or placement, check with the Office of Urban Development.