Sell Your Industrial Outdoor Storage (IOS) Yard for Cash

Didenko Capital buys warehouses, industrial outdoor storage (IOS) yards, and light-industrial and flex buildings directly from owners in all states. Truck and trailer yards, container yards, equipment yards, contractor yards, and laydown yards. If you own land where trucks, trailers, containers or equipment are parked or stored, and the land matters more than any building on it, this page is for you.

✓ Cash offer
✓ Sell as-is — no repairs needed
✓ No commission to us
✓ No listing

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What Counts as an IOS Yard

Northmarq describes industrial outdoor storage as open-air facilities for storing equipment, vehicles and materials that do not need an enclosed warehouse, and says these sites typically feature large paved or graveled areas with minimal building structures. Some yards have a shop or an office on them, and some have no building at all.

Truck and Trailer Yards

A lot where a fleet parks tractors, trailers or box trucks between runs, often with a dispatch office, a fuel tank or a repair bay.

Container and Chassis Yards

A yard where shipping containers or chassis are dropped off, stored and picked up again, sometimes stacked several high.

Equipment and Contractor Yards

A fenced lot where a contractor keeps machines, materials and work trucks between jobs, sometimes next to a small shop.

Laydown and Storage Lots

An open lot used to stage pipe, steel, lumber or other materials, or to hold vehicles and equipment for a while.

We buy truck yards, trailer yards, container yards, and other industrial outdoor storage (IOS) sites in all states. Vacant, owner-occupied, or leased to tenants. Condition does not rule a property out. Want to keep running your business on the yard after you sell? Ask us about a sale-leaseback.

Why a Yard With Legal Zoning Is Hard to Replace

Northmarq’s guide to industrial outdoor storage names zoning restrictions as the primary supply constraint for these sites. It says many municipalities resist approving IOS projects because of concerns about truck traffic, lower tax revenue than traditional industrial buildings, and community opposition. The same guide says those barriers create a competitive advantage for existing properties while limiting new competition.

CBRE describes the zoning and entitlement requirements for these properties as complex. So the first question about almost any yard is a simple one: is the way it is used today allowed where it sits?

Here is how four cities treat yard uses in their own rules.

The Los Angeles City Council passed an ordinance in 2024 regulating new or expanded trucking-related uses in the Wilmington-Harbor City Community Plan Area, including truck parking, storage, terminals and yards.
The City of Riverside’s zoning code lists truck and trailer storage, when it is the main use of a lot, as a prohibited use in every zone. An outdoor storage yard as the main use, contractor storage yards included, is marked prohibited in most of the zones in that same table.
Chicago’s zoning ordinance does not allow container storage in its M1 district and requires special use approval for it in M2 and M3. A contractor or construction storage yard is permitted by right in M2 and M3 but not allowed in M1.
In Atlanta’s I-1 light industrial and I-2 heavy industrial districts, a freight, rail, bus or truck terminal needs a special use permit unless a government agency builds or runs it.

This does not mean an existing yard is illegal, and every city writes its own rules. It depends on the zoning district. A summary, not legal advice: the Zoning Code itself governs.

What Makes a Yard Easier to Sell

A yard is mostly land, so what you can show about that land carries much of the weight.

The right zoning. A use that is allowed where the yard sits, by right or under a written approval, with the conditions of that approval met.
A good location. Northmarq’s guide calls location the most critical determinant of value for these sites, and says properties near seaports, intermodal hubs, airports and major highways command premium rents because they reduce transportation costs for tenants.
A layout trucks can use. That means gates a tractor-trailer can pass through, room to turn around, and a short trip to a main road.
The approvals on paper. Any permit or approval the yard runs under, with the conditions attached to it, kept in one folder you can hand over.
Any leases. Send the leases and the rent roll early, because they are part of the value.
What you know about the ground. Environmental history is part of how we price a property, not an automatic no.

If some of these papers are missing, you can still ask for an offer. Tell us the situation and we’ll factor it in.

How Selling Your Yard Works

Tell us about your property. Use the short form: address, occupancy, condition, and your timing.
We review the property. We look at the yard, the zoning, any leases, and the local market.
You get a cash offer. We look at what similar industrial properties sell for, the rent the property earns or could earn, its condition, and the cost of any repairs it needs.
You decide. Accept it and we sign a purchase agreement. Turn it down and you owe nothing.

A yard with little or no building fits the same short form. There is no commission to us and no fee to us. Asking for an offer is free, and you are not committed to anything unless you sign a purchase agreement.

We buy directly — you deal with us, not a broker. Selling directly to a buyer means no listing agreement.

Selling an IOS Yard: Frequently Asked Questions

What is industrial outdoor storage (IOS)?

CBRE describes an IOS property as mostly outdoor land, with a small portion of covered building space. Northmarq lists truck terminals, storage for construction equipment and building materials, and parking areas for commercial vehicles, trailers and shipping containers among the common uses.

What types of property do you buy?

Warehouses (distribution, storage, and manufacturing), industrial outdoor storage (IOS) yards such as truck, trailer, container, equipment, and contractor yards, light-industrial and flex buildings, and industrial land.

Why does zoning matter so much for a yard?

Northmarq calls zoning restrictions the primary supply constraint for industrial outdoor storage, and says many municipalities resist approving these projects. It depends on the zoning district. Ask your attorney before counting on a use.

Does the condition matter?

No. We buy as-is. Deferred maintenance, an old roof, needed repairs, environmental questions — none of that rules a property out on its own. You don’t need to fix, clean out, or improve anything before talking to us.

What if the property is occupied, or the lease is a mess?

That’s fine. We look at owner-occupied, tenant-occupied, and vacant buildings. Tell us the situation and we’ll factor it in.

Do you buy in my state?

Yes. We buy in all states.

What information do you need from me?

To start: the property address, the general condition, whether it’s occupied, and your timing. That’s enough for a first conversation.

Get a Cash Offer for Your Yard

We buy in all states, as-is, with a cash offer and no commission to us. Tell us about your yard and get a cash offer. Fill out the short form below to get started.

Get My Cash Offer

If the lot also has a warehouse on it, see the sell my warehouse page as well.

Sources

Facts on this page come from the public sources listed at the bottom, read on the dates shown.

Sell Your IOS Yard or Truck Yard for Cash