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

Chapter 5-26 of the Watsonville Municipal Code regulates garage and yard sales, and Section 5-26.06 governs the signs. A sign no longer than three square feet in area can be displayed on the premises announcing the sale during the permitted period, and no sign can be displayed at any location outside or off the premises. That rules out the corner directional signs common elsewhere. Section 14-21.050(a)(18) separately lists garage sale signs, limited to the day of the garage sale, among signs allowed without a planning permit.

The sale needs a permit first. Section 5-26.01 bars anyone from selling goods from a dwelling or residentially zoned district without one. The applicant files a written application with the Finance Department under Section 5-26.02, including the sale location, the dates, a reasonable inventory, and an affidavit under penalty of perjury that the goods are used or secondhand and were owned for at least 90 days. The Administrative Services Director issues the permit, and Section 5-26.04 requires it to be posted so it is clearly visible from the nearest public street throughout the sale.

Section 5-26.07 allows two permits per year, with no sale lasting more than two consecutive days in the January to June or July to December periods. Section 5-26.05 bars a new permit for the same person or premises within six months of issuance, with an exception for an estate or probate sale. Section 5-26.08 sets the fee by Council resolution, and Section 5-26.09 makes permits nontransferable. A sign placed in the public right-of-way is also covered by Section 14-21.070(g), which makes illegally placed signs on public property subject to removal and disposal.