Do I have to have a permit or something from the city to have a yard sale? Thanks for any info and have a wonderful day! :)
~mary~ 

yes you do..you can get them from the newspaper i believe...and you will have to pay taxes on what you sell..which somebody asked a good question..isnt that considered DOUBLE taxing? i would like some insight on that one!! 

Seriously? you have to have a permit to sell your old crap from your yard? holy cow. And of course Lawton wants to make their share. I don't know why I'm surprised. Sorry if I offend anyone but I've always thought the city of Lawton was money hungry. And yes, I would consider this double taxing. Actually, why don't they tax your property as commercial for the 2 or 3 days you run this 'business' from your own driveway? 

yep and you will get fined if you get caught without one...it wouldnt suprise me if they sent out undercover garage sellers lol seriously!! 

But the whole paying taxes on the sale thing is basically on the honor system. 

but for your own stuff you just paid for? i own a business and i dont get taxed for the stuff i BUY but in return charge tax on what i sell thats completely different than buying something and paying tax then decide you dont need it and sell it and have to pay taxes again? i dont think it makes sense but maybe somebody could explain i dont know 

I got this info from the City of Lawton page...

Garage sale signs and other service signs are not allowed on utility poles, traffic sign poles, medians or any public right-of-way. You can put one sign in front of your house. The sign itself can't be larger than 12 square feet.

You can sell any personal property, but not motor vehicles. You cannot sell new merchandise, consignment items, or resale items.

A single permit is good for three consecutive days. The sale must be held at the address listed on it, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.

The maximum fine for conducting a sale without a license is $200 plus costs.

You do not need to pay taxes on the proceeds from the sale since the items were purchased and taxes had already been paid on them.

Here is an article that explains in further detal. Hope this helps (^_^)

http://dontmesswithtaxes.typepad.com/dont_mess_with_taxes/2009/05/are-garage-sale-proceeds-taxable.html 

well thats not what i got!! that says you dont have to pay..the one i have says you have to pay and gave me a tax sheet 

i guess its like everything else something to debate about lol but the way i was explained is we did have to pay on our stuff so thats what im goin off of but your posting says different...i just dont understand lol 

Yeah I agree it's pretty stupid. I've never paid the taxes on my sale. And as for the signs, people put them up everywhere anyway, so as long as you don't put them on telephone poles, and you take them down when the sale is over, I doubt you actually get in trouble. But it's still really stupid that they want you to charge sales tax on that stuff, when you can sell on bookoo or craigslist or in the newspaper and not have to pay taxes... 

So, Is it a yard sale and do I have to have a permit if its like an open house kinda thing that I advertise on here? I just got my stuff from germany and I have a LOT more crap than I remember and a LOT less space so I have a lot to get rid of but want the least hassle of doing it since I have a baby due in a month. :) 

I have had 2 yard sales and paid for the permit and I never hahd to pay taxes for my stuff. im not sure if I had to but didnt. But no one ever asked me how much I made afterwards. well just because I didnt pay doesnt mean you dont have to. I would just asked the receptionist when you pay for the permit for clarification and any up to date info she can provide. 

Well, I live in Cache and we can have a yardsale anytime we want to without telling the city. I think in Lawton you also can only have so many yardsales a month or something like that. I am so glad I live in Cache now.

Sorry guys... :o( 

Oh I am so glad I live outside city limits!

As a Business Management Major I learned this one in finance, it actually was a discussion we had one day. Yes, you have to pay taxes on what you sell if its over a certain amount, 20,000. It's the same as you would for ebay. Pay Pal now reports what money has come in through ebay if you have hit over 200 auctions and have a volumn of over 20,000.
So with this being said I wouldn't worry about paying the taxes if you are under 20,000. :-) 

LOL I WISH I could make 20,000! :) 

OOOO, I got a authentic Celine Italian leather handbag on ebay right now. Its only up to 40.99 right now, but there are like 22 watchers. I would be happy if it made like 50. I only paid $1 for it at a yardsale... woo hoo 

20,000 from a yard sale?! Not even on clean house. If you are selling that much you are running some sort of business...like if you buy items in bulk for cheap to then resell them more expensive then I see how you would pay taxes on that. 

Yep that who the law is intended for the resellers/dealers not us who want to have 1 or 2 measly garage sales. That is Oklahoma though, states have their own laws like IL where I am from you have to turn it your what they call proffit from your sales to the mayors office which is ridiculous!!

Oh and WTG Penelope!! I know that is so exciting to see a found treasure go so high like that! Let me know how you do on it! :-) 

I will be out there with all my stuff!! I will be at Melissa's 5047 B Perez Road! I am selling everything in my house except for the furniture items, hubby and the kids! They all have to stay and move to the new house with me! So make sure you come visit us! :-) 

I called the city and they told me its just $2.50 for a permit and thats it. sending the hubbin out to get it this morning :) Im at 1501 NW 17th ST Lawton OK 73507. Trying to get ready for it today but come on by and dig through if ya want. :) Have a GREAT weekend every one! :)