(Garage sale) signs of summer popping up

Are you folks able to give me some guidelines for posting yard sales signs in Vancouver. Or could you tell me whom to contact for further information?

— Hilary Bitz, Northcrest Neighborhood



The arrival of this question means it’s really summer. (And, Hilary gets extra points for "whom"!)

Here’s everything the city of Vancouver’s municipal code says about residential used-stuff — yard, garage, tag, flea, junk, rummage — sales.

You can have no more than two sales per year. Sales must last no longer than three days. Sales must be on private property only.

Multi-family sales are OK on private property, too.

Yard sale signs must be removed within 24 hours of the end of your sale. You can post yard sale signs for no more than seven days in a calendar year.

Here’s the clincher that catches some folks off-guard: No signs on public property without a permit. That means utility poles, mail boxes, median strips, sidewalks, school fences, picnic shelters, park paths, transformer boxes, water towers and high-voltage transmission lines.

And, of course, no signs on private property, other than yours, without permission.

Whom should you contact to discuss the finer points of yard sale signage in the city of Vancouver? Doug Ross, Vancouver’s code compliance supervisor, can answer questions at 360-487-7848.

Clark County’s garage-sale sign code is virtually identical to the city’s.

— Scott Hewitt