The village of East Syracuse has introduced a local law that would set guidelines for garage sales within the village.
Village Trustee Janet Mattox said she started looking into creating a local law in the issue to “eliminate the perpetual, prolonged and extended garage sales.”
The proposed law limits the number of garage sales a family can have to three per year, and each sale can only last three days between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. A total of five signs per garage sale are permitted under the law, but must be taken down immediately after the sale has ended. The guidelines do not apply to those participating in village-wide garage sales or those who are selling less than five items on the property they own or rent.
“The reason that I’m proposing this law is because I’ve had complaints from residents about the ‘perpetual garage sales’ and front yards that were constantly filled with goods that kind of made the neighborhood look trashy,” said Mattox. “I thought if we could have some regulations, we could stop the ‘perpetual garage sale.’”
In addition, Mattox said some business owners had complained about prolonged garage sales near their businesses that hindered their ability to promote themselves.
The village of Manlius has a similar local laws set in place, which Mattox used as a basis for what East Syracuse is proposing in their local law, she said.
The village board listened to comments from residents about the proposed law at a public hearing on June 1. Some residents questioned how the law would be enforced and how the penalties for breaking the rules would be decided.
According to Mattox, it would be the job of the village code enforcement officer to ticket residents who are found in violation of the law. After a violation is written up, it is up to the discretion of the judge handling the case to decide on the amount of the fine, which would range from $0 to $250.
“If someone is unaware of the law and they have a fourth garage sale and get a ticket, the judge is probably not going to be too harsh,” said Mattox. “I’m not looking to stop garage sales in the village, I just don’t want them to become out-of-hand.”
Mattox said the village board hopes to vote on the local law regarding garage sales following a second public hearing at their regular meeting at 7 p.m. on July 6 at 204 N. Center St., East Syracuse.
Hayleigh Gowans is a reporter for the Eagle Bulletin. She can be reached at [email protected].
