City Hall Says It's Really Cleaning Up With That $15 Garage Sale Permit Fee

By Robert Wilonsky Mon., Feb. 27 2012 at 9:57 AM

From the late, great Dallas Garage Sales From Hell website

Back in the fall of 2010, the city's garage-sale permit fee, then just a proposal, raised quite the ruckus -- so much so, you may recall, Neil Cavuto told Dwaine Caraway during a FOX News appearance that, well, "it just looks desperate" during a segment titled "Garage Sale Gouge." At the time it cost $5 to get a city-issued permit to hold a garage sale; council ultimately voted to up the fee to $15 in order to "better regulate and enforce the garage sale provisions and promote Clean, Safe and Vibrant Neighborhoods." (Oh -- and put money into the Dallas Arboretum and other arts-n-cultural centers.)

Reason it's worth revisiting this morning: Following this lovely presentation on the Children's Garden Development at the Dallas Arboretum, the city council's Quality of Life Committee will get an update on the permitting process from Jimmy Martin, head of code compliance, who will tell the council that since the rule took effect the city's issued 16,700 permits between FY2010-11 and today, which comes out to 'round $250,000 ... or $166,500 more than the city would have pocketed previously.

Ah -- but still some folks are having trouble sticking to the rules, which say you can't have more than two sales a year, they can't last longer than three days, and that you can only post one two-square-foot sign a sale "on the lot where the sale is taking place." Says the briefing, during the FY10-11 fiscal year: "720 Notice of Violations and 17 criminal citations were issued for illegal garage sales," and City Hall has to come up with some way to further "encourage residents to call 311 so that Code Compliance can focus enforcement efforts."

As always.

We Recommend

garage equipment

Garage sale is a kind of way of cleaning your house. This is a wise idea because we can clean our house while we can make money. We can our things that we are no longer use but it can be useful to others.

Andy

$166,500 more than the city would have pocketed previously. Why do we acquiesce in government grabs at our pocketbooks? Cities need to cut back on spending, not find new ways to fleece citizens. $15 may not be much, but why is the city entitled to it? Want concerts or museums? Let the patrons pay for them.

What needs to happen is for citizens to evaluate just what the government is required to do then demand that they get out of everything else. If the current crop of layabouts won't take action then elect new people who will.

Government at all levels is far too big and steals way too much of the resources of its subjects (when you pay almost half of your income to government and are subject to the whims of unelected morons you are no longer a citizen). The answer is to starve the beast and, after it's weakened, drive a stake through its heart; not find ways to give it more of your heard-earned money.

Lasvegan

I live in the City of Las Vegas. We have homeowners here who run their yard sales like businesses. I wish our city government would invoke the $15 fee. Only...if it stops homeowners like the ones I described.

Willie

The city has every right and responsibility to regulate garage sales because they often become a nuisance. And fifteen bucks for a permit is squat. And I bet folks bitching about the fee are usually the folks bitching about our lousy streets. The city has to come up with more revenue one way or the other.

Mister_Mean

How about controlling your spending? Oh we can't (won't) do that. Reminds me of a public town hall meeting where Linda Koop proclaimed: "Look at all this money we have! Help us spend it".

Mister_Mean

This is more about sticking the citizens for another $$ than the quality of living. The city just can’t (or more realistically won't) live within it's budget. Wonder what new fees they will stick the city with this year because of their ineptness? They are like those airlines which want to charge you for the ticket and any trips to the can while you are on board.

Kevin C.

When I see one of those homes with the rope permanently strung through a pipe between two trees in the front yard to hold clothes, I know I've run across one of those hard-working entrepreneurs who wants to make the most of his two garage sales a year, so I try to help out.

I'll stick 2 or 3 dozen extra signs in a 10 mile radius around his house with his address, not only advertising "Garage Sale 8 AM - 9 PM", but also "12 Free Tickets (to a Mavs or Rangers game or to a concert), after 9 PM Only, First Come, First Served", just to boost traffic a little bit more.

Small businesses are the real drivers of our economy, and it's up to every one of us to do our part to make sure they succeed.

Grammarplease

Doesn't code enforcement have more important things to do?

james

i luv goin' to garage sales. went yesterday, bought some nice junk pretty cheap. got a priceless smile from my wife for $5. i thought that was their garage. seems the city believes it's the city's garage and their 'tenant sharecropper' gotta pay a tax to earn anythin' or to even cash out unneeded stuff. god forbid we raise a few veggies to barter around with. go big brother. we luv big brother.

WestOakCliff

The worse offenders here are itinerant peddlers who unloaded their trucks and set up shop on city property or lawns of vacant houses on Sunday, because they know that Code doesn't work on Sunday.

jfpo

I was at an estate sale in Kessler Park on a Sunday and they were getting "busted" by code for having signs off the property.

Oak Cliff Townie

Surprise Code works Saturday and Sunday .

I live in a corner house we have other folks Garage sale signs put on the EASEMENT every once and while .

We had a bit of a back and forth with the code folks about who should take it down I was on the its not my business side .

I just call 311 and report it now .And get a case number .

Who needs the neighbors Pissed at them Besides the signs are gone by Monday and if code comes by I have a report number to give them .

Montemalone

How long before city hall requires garage sales to provide off-street parking, portapotties, and off duty police security?

Oak Cliff Townie

Just start at the far west side of Oak Cliff go street by street and you can find just about anything folks can shoplift or cart out the back door of a business for sale.