FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

06-07-12 600AM

Garage and yard sales are an effective way of reducing clutter while pocketing a little extra cash, but if you host a garage/yard sale in Oakley, you need to know the rules.

According to municipal code, a garage/yard sale event must not exceed three calendar days and must be conducted during daylight hours only. Residents are limited to three garage sales per year. A permit and collection of a tax might be required if a person holds more than three sales annually, as it can be argued that such frequency represents a commercial enterprise on a residentially zoned lot.

Signs announcing sales may not be posted in the public right-of-way or on any public property, including landscaped medians, landscaped strips along roadways, on telephone poles, power poles, street lights, street signs, city trees or sidewalks. Signs may be placed on private property but only with the permission of the property owner.

At the conclusion of the event, garage/yard sale signs and directional information must be removed. Signs placed on utility poles, traffic lights, traffic signs, street signs, fire hydrants or trees will be removed, and the cost of removal and damage caused by the sign will be charged to the person sponsoring the garage sale.

To encourage compliance with code regulations on signage and help minimize the need for signs, the city does offer a free community service for residents wishing to post a garage/yard sale notice on the city’s website. The City of Oakley does not endorse or support any sale posted on these pages, but the posting does provide a convenient place for people to be made aware where the sales are taking place.

If frequent garage/yard sales become a problem, or if the contents of those sales do not fit the profile of a garage/yard sale, concerned neighbors may call the Oakley Code Enforcement Division at 925-625-7031 or e-mail sanders@ci.oakley.ca.us.

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