Garage sales

The City of Humble regulates garage and estate sales under Article 5.04 of its Code of Ordinances.¹ A permit is required.

Getting the permit

Apply at the Building Department, in City Hall at 114 W. Higgins St, 281-446-6228.² The application has to be in "at least 24 hours prior to the sale".¹ The fee is $10.³

Limits

• No more than four garage or estate sale permits per location in any twelve-month period.¹
• Each sale can run no more than three days in a row, and two sales at the same address have to be at least four calendar days apart.¹
• The permit "must be prominently displayed on the premises" for the whole sale.¹
• No more than five signs per sale, and every sign has to show the permit number.¹
• No signs in public rights-of-way, and none on utility poles, trees, public buildings, street signs or traffic-control devices.¹
• Signs go up no earlier than 5:00 AM the day before and come down by 8:00 PM on the last day.¹
• Everything visible from the street, tables included, has to be off the yard and driveway by sunset on the last day.¹

Selling five items or fewer does not need a permit. The code exempts anyone advertising specific items "which do not exceed five (5) in number".¹

The reason the city gives for the rules is that "perpetual, prolonged and extended yard sales" in residential areas "tend to become retail businesses in residential areas and neighborhoods".¹

A neighborhood-wide sale

The code lets a homeowners association pull one master permit for a community sale, and that sale does not count against the four-per-year limit.¹ That provision applies to associations only, and Timberwood does not have one. Each house taking part in a Timberwood block sale pulls its own permit, and it counts as one of that address's four.

Notices has a garage sale type for announcing one.