Garage Sale Ordinance in Arlington
We can all recall a time when we saw a garage sale. Every Saturday we would leave our homes and there they were, a sign that read Garage Sale with an address written in black sharpie and terrible handwriting. The thought was that having a garage sale was easy. A matter of fixing one’s stuff out in the yard and calling it a yard sale seemed not that complicated, but it turns out there is more to it than that, as a business litigation attorney in Arlington, TX can explain. If you want to have a garage sale there are a couple of things you should know:
1. A garage sale is defined by the city of Arlington as all general sales, open or advertised to the public, conducted from a residential property, of personal and tangible property.
2. For the purpose of this article, residential property is considered a single-family home, a duplex, or a multi-family home property.
3. A garage sale is more than five tangible items displayed for sale to the public.
That being said, the city of Arlington has requirements for any person with the intention of having a garage sale. The first requirement is having a permit. This is normal but definitely a requirement that not many first-timers are aware of. This permit can be obtained by filing an application online by searching Where to get a garage permit on the search bar in Google. The City of Arlington will have a page called Garage Sales and Guidelines, and at the top of the page, there will be a link highlighted in green. This link is a page for all permits and will require the individual to register for an account. Once registered, the application can be completed and submitted right through the computer.
When the permit application is submitted, the request will be approved or denied within 5 days.
If the request is denied, it can be appealed within 10 days of its denial and it should be directed to the director of the authorized department. This is determined by your specific location.
After receiving the permit there is just a little more that needs to be known. Arlington has very specific rules about what can be sold and if those rules are not followed they can result in a $500 dollar fine. Every day is a new offense. This means that if a garage sale is held for 3 days, the maximum amount of days possible, and Section 4.01 of the Ordinances Governing Garage Sales in the City of Arlington Texas is violated every day, then the person responsible can be subject to three $500 dollar fines. Section 4.01 is the sale, offer for sale, or display for sale of two identical items. These articles can be two matching shirts of different sizes or two matching pots of different colors. Sets do not count but there still cannot be two of the same sets.
Other things to consider:
1. Section 3.05 limits the number of permits that can be granted to an individual location to three within a twelve-month period.
2. Garage sales cannot be more than three consecutive days.
3. The hours of operation must be after 7 a.m. and before 7 p.m.
4. No food can be sold during the garage sale.
5. Garage sale signs must be 5 ft from the public right of way. The public right of way, in this case, is the sidewalk.
Thanks to Brandy Austin Law Firm, PLLC for their insight into business law and garage sales.