GARDEN GROVE : Garage Sale Rules Won’t Be Stiffened

The City Council this week postponed consideration of a proposal to toughen regulations on garage sales after council members and some residents complained that it would intrude on residents’ private lives.

“Pretty soon, we’ll regulate what day people can do their laundry,” said Councilman Robert F. Dinsen.

The council instead decided Tuesday to enforce more effectively current regulations, which allow each household four garage sales a year. A permit is not required.

City Manager George L. Tindall said that it’s practically impossible to keep track of the number of garage sales each year for each of the city’s 44,000 households. He said some residents have turned their front yards into virtual weekend flea markets, causing noise, traffic and trash collection problems.

In addition, he said, streets often are littered with garage sale signs. One option to consider, he said, was limiting sales to four designated weekends in March, June, September and December, as in Santa Ana.

“It degrades our neighborhoods when garage sales are overdone,” said Mary Lou Weeder, a resident who favors tighter restrictions.

But Councilman Mark Leyes said that although some people abuse the practice, “we should be careful not to make criminals out of a family simply because they had five garage sales.”

Council members directed city staff to report back about the progress of enforcement to determine if stricter regulations would be necessary.