Do You Need a Permit to Have a Yard Sale in the Hudson Valley?
It’s yard sale time again here in the Hudson Valley. That’s a big deal for treasure hunters and collectors. I know of people that spend a great deal of time mapping out their yard sale activity for the weekend. They check craigslist and Facebook, figure out which ones they want to go to, plan a route, and spend the whole day going from yard sale to yard sale. I’ve been known to do that a few times in the past, but now there is absolutely nothing I need. In fact, I have so much stuff that I should be holding my own yard sale.
How about you? Are you planning a yard sale this year? Have you accumulated so much stuff that it’s time to stop going to other yard sales and time to hold your own? I’ve been contemplating it, but I’m not sure if I’m up to the task. I don’t even know if I need a permit to hold a yard sale. Turns out, lots of cities and towns actually do require permits, although I’m not sure that everybody follows that rule.
Where Are You Required to Have a Permit for Your Yard Sale?
I did some research, and it turns out that Newburgh, Middletown, the City of Poughkeepsie, and the Town of Poughkeepsie all require permits in order to have a yard sale. It wasn't quite as clear to me in Kingston's codes, but you might want to call the city offices to find out for sure. The bottom line is that each town and village here in the Hudson Valley has its own rules about yard sales and selling stuff on your own property. So, you might want to check with the powers that be before you hold your own yard sale.
I find it kind of hard to believe that every household that has a yard sale has applied for that permit. And I also find it hard to believe that many(if any) of these cities or towns would enforce the rule and arrest you or even ticket you for holding a yard sale without a permit. But, if you like to play by the rules, you might want to check your town’s requirements before you have your sale.