Washington County, MN Sign Regulations: Garage Sale Signs (2026)

10(4)(C) of the Development Code covers yard signs, the category the county uses for garage-sale, moving-sale and similar temporary event signs. Such signs are allowed on private property only with the consent of the property owner, and 'must be removed within seven (7) days after the completion of any process, situation or event to which they apply,' meaning a garage-sale sign has to come down within a week of the sale's last day. 10(4)(F) adds a location standard: yard signs may not be closer than ten feet from any property line, so a sign cannot be planted directly at the lot line or in the road right-of-way.

10(2)(B), yard signs that do not exceed nine square feet in area do not need a Sign Permit, which covers the size of a typical garage-sale sign, though larger event signage could trigger the permit requirement that applies to signage generally. 10(4)(B) separately bars any sign, other than a public utility warning sign, from county property or the public right-of-way of a major highway or county road, so posting a garage-sale sign on a road shoulder or county right-of-way is not allowed regardless of size. These standards apply only in the unincorporated county and townships; Stillwater, Woodbury and the other incorporated cities set their own yard-sign rules.