Yard sale organizers need to know, follow city ordinances

The recent warm weather, even with the rain, seems to be encouraging people to begin having yard sales for this year. A problem is that some people, either through ignorance or deliberately, fail to abide by the city ordinance concerning the sales.

New Albany code enforcement officer Eric Thomas said ordinances allow residents to have one yard sale every 90 days and the sale can be in any type of municipal zoning.

A residential permit is $5 and is good for three consecutive days, but not Sundays. If the sale is on commercial property the permit costs $15 and the seller must be able to provide written permission by the property owner or tenant.

If weather forces cancellation of a sale on a day, the person can call the code enforcement office to have the permit extended.

Yard sale signs are permitted on the private property where the sale is occurring only and no signs of any sort are permitted on city property and utility poles particularly.

Businesses or other groups may hold sales as well.

Violation of the yard sale ordinance is a misdemeanor, which can bring a fine of several hundred dollars, some jail time, or both.

Thomas also wanted to remind people of a law concerning private sale of motor vehicles, campers, recreational vehicles, boats and trailers.

It is illegal to park various items such as these on public or private property if the item is clearly marked as being for sale. In fact, the city can tow any such vehicle or equipment.

This only applies to those who are not properly licensed to sell such items but there is an exemption.

The seller may get a permit from the code enforcement office good for 30 days. The cost is $5 for a residence and $15 for a business. The person getting the permit has to prove he or she owns the vehicle or item and have proof of residency on the private property or authorization from the business owner.

Violation can bring a fine of up to $1,000.

This ordinance is in conjunction with efforts by aldermen to keep junked vehicles from sitting on the street or in yards for extended periods, and other measures to improve the appearance and safety of the community.

In that vein, the city requires that yards and vacant lots be mown on a reasonably regular basis and otherwise kept from being unkempt and overgrown.

If the city cites property as needing mowing and the property owner does not comply, the city will mow the lot, generally at a cost of $75 to the property owner.