Do you need a garage sale permit? Rules in San Diego, LA and Orange County
By Rory at Estate Sale Zone · Published
In most of Southern California you don't need a permit for a garage or yard sale, but nearly every city limits how many you can hold a year and for how many days. Long Beach ($17), Pasadena, Burbank and Chula Vista do need a permit or licence before the sale, and Santa Ana and Anaheim only allow sales on four set weekends a year.
The tables below come from each city's own code or web page, checked on 8 October 2026. Rules change and this isn't legal advice; where we couldn't confirm a rule, the table says to check with the city.
City by city
| Where | Permit? | How often | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego (city) | No | 3 a year, 2 days each | Garage, yard and estate sales alike, only at a home (SDMC §141.0306). |
| Chula Vista | Yes, a free licence | 2 a year, up to 10 days | Free if you get it before the sale, online or at the Development Services counter; used goods you own only (CVMC 5.32.030, city page). |
| Escondido | No | 4 a year, 3 days each | 8 am–6 pm, single-family homes and mobile home lots only (city FAQ). |
| Oceanside | None mentioned | 2 a year, 1–2 days | Used household items; no new merchandise or food (Code Enforcement page). We found no code section; check with Code Enforcement. |
| Unincorporated San Diego County | No | 4 a year, 3 days each | Neighbors' things may be sold too; no vehicles or items bought to resell (Zoning Ordinance §6156(gg)). |
| Where | Permit? | How often | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles (city) | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | We couldn't read the city's code to confirm a rule. Ask MyLA311 before your sale. Its sign rules are in our signs guide. |
| Long Beach | Yes, $17 | 2 a year, 3 days each | 8 am–3 pm; display the permit at the sale; estate sales need it too (LBMC 5.40, application). |
| Pasadena | Yes | 2 per 12 months, 3 days each | A Personal Property Sales Permit, at least 24 hours ahead; one sign up to 4 sq ft (PMC 17.50.190, apply online). |
| Burbank | Yes, no cost | 2 per 12 months, 2 days each | Apply by noon the Friday before; estate sales included (BMC 10-1-510, city page). |
| Glendale | No | 4 a year, 2 days each | No garage sale signs at all, fines from $100 a sign (city handout; it's old, so check with the city). |
| Torrance | No | 4 a year, 2 days each | 7 am–4 pm; one sign up to 9 sq ft at the sale (TMC 92.42). |
| Unincorporated LA County | Only for extra weekends | Last weekend of each month | Up to two more weekends a year if you register first, 7 am–6 pm (LACC 22.140.620). Altadena and East LA, for example. |
| Where | Permit? | How often | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Ana | No | 4 set weekends a year | First weekend of March, June, September and December, 8 am–5 pm. Estate sales are different: call Code Enforcement (city page, SAMC 41-193). |
| Anaheim | No | 4 set weekends a year | First full weekend of March, June, September and December, 7 am–7 pm; estate sales included (AMC 6.26.030). |
| Irvine | No | None in city code | Your HOA may set dates and limits; check its rules. |
| Huntington Beach | None found | Once every 6 months, 48 hours | From the zoning code's use classifications (HBZSO Ch. 204); check with the city. |
| Costa Mesa | No | 2 a year, 3 days each | Used personal and household items only (city page). |
| Orange | No | Once every 4 months, 4 days | 8 am–8 pm; no signs in the public right-of-way (OMC 17.13.040). |
| Fullerton | None mentioned | Once every 6 months, 3 days | Nothing after sundown; up to three signs of 2 sq ft (city page). |
| Garden Grove | None found | 4 days a year | The limit is days, not sales. No off-site signs. Check with the city. |
| Unincorporated Orange County | No | None in county code | HOAs often set their own limits. |
Rules almost every city has
Even where there's no permit, the codes above share a few rules: sell only your own used household things, not goods bought to resell; keep everything on your property, off the sidewalk and street; take it all in when the sale ends; and keep signs off poles, trees and traffic signs. Where you can put signs is in our guide to free printable garage sale signs.
Estate sales
Most of these cities treat an estate sale at a home as a garage sale, with the same limits: San Diego, Long Beach, Burbank, Torrance and Anaheim name estate sales in the same rule. Santa Ana is the exception: its four-weekend rule doesn't cover the sale of a recently deceased resident's belongings, and the city asks you to call Code Enforcement on (714) 667-2780 with the dates and who's running the sale. A company running a sale for you may need a business licence in that city; ask the company.
Do you pay tax on garage sale money?
Usually not. California doesn't require a seller's permit or sales tax for a garage sale of used things if you hold no more than two in 12 months (CDTFA, Temporary Sellers); a third in that time needs a permit. For income tax, the IRS says that if you sold personal items for less than you paid, “there is no tax liability”; a profit on an item is taxable (IRS, Form 1099-K). An estate sale company that sells a family's things for them is generally the retailer under the rule for consignees (Regulation 1569), so the tax is its job, not the family's; ask the company how it handles it.
Questions
- Do I need a permit for a garage sale in San Diego?
- Not in the city of San Diego: up to three sales a year, two days each. Chula Vista needs a free licence before the sale.
- Do I need a permit for a garage sale in Los Angeles?
- We couldn't confirm a rule for the city of Los Angeles; ask MyLA311. Long Beach, Pasadena and Burbank do need a permit, and unincorporated LA County allows sales on the last weekend of each month.
- Do you need a permit for an estate sale?
- Usually the same as a garage sale in that city, and in most of these cities that means no permit but a yearly limit. Santa Ana handles estate sales separately.
- What happens if I hold a sale without a permit?
- Each city sets its own penalty: in Anaheim a violation is an infraction, and Santa Ana can issue a fine or a misdemeanor citation.
- Does my HOA have its own rules?
- Often, especially in Irvine and south Orange County. Your CC&Rs can limit sales even where the city doesn't.
Post your sale
Once you know your dates, post the sale for free: it goes on the map and into the Thursday email for your area, with signs and pictures ready to print and share.