The following bullet points are
intended to clarify the City's
policy on holding a garage or
yard sale and to provide a few
safety tips--so your sale can
be a positive experience! 
 

• The City of Alhambra does NOT require residents to obtain a city permit to hold a garage or yard sale. However, no more than TWO garage sales may be conducted in any one calendar year by any one individual, household group, family, or multi-unit property.
• Sales may be conducted only between the hours of 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and may not exceed two consecutive days.
• No merchandise may be displayed in the public-right-of-way, on front porches, or within the front yard of interior lots, or the front yard and/or side yard of corner lots.
• Only one single-face sign, not larger than 2-feet by 3-feet, may be posted on the premises where the sale is to be conducted for the duration of the sale and must be removed immediately thereafter.
• No signs may be posted off-premises, including nailing or placing signs on trees, utility poles, sign posts, parkway or other city property. It is permissible to place a sign in your own vehicle, but it must be properly parked on the street to advertise your sale. Advertising in a newspaper is a good alternative.
• Violations of garage sale regulations are subject to immediate closure of the sale and a possible misdemeanor criminal complaint filed with the city attorney’s office.
• Although no permit is required to hold a garage/yard sale, temporary use permits may be required for other types of sales (such as holding a boutique sale).
• Never operate a garage or yard sale by yourself. At least one or two family members should always be watchful of anyone coming onto the premises to browse among the items being sold; however, there should only be one designated cashier so buyers can’t claim they paid someone else.
• All transactions should be in cash only; never accept personal checks, business checks and payroll checks of any type. Use a locked cash box or a fanny pack and keep only a very limited amount of money on you at any given time. If someone wants to break a large bill, like $100 for a small item, tell them you will be happy to hold the item if they want to go get change.
• Cut down on possible theft by having a 12 to 15-foot buffer zone between the road and your items.
• All entrances into the residence should be securely locked, including backyard gates.
• Never allow anyone to go inside your residence for any reason, including using the bathroom.
• If you have additional concerns about garage/yard sale regulations, contact the Code Enforcement Division at 626-570-3231.
• If you plan to conduct a boutique or sale of any kind other than a garage/yard sale you must contact the Development Services Planning Division (626) 570-5034 and Finance Department (626) 570-5020 to obtain a Temporary Use Permit.