A new ordinance regulating garage sales in Rockford took effect Aug. 4, requiring residents to obtain a free permit and limiting the number of sales they can hold per year.
Under the new regulations, residents must register their garage sales online through a free permitting system. The ordinance limits households to three garage sales annually, with each sale lasting no more than three consecutive days from 9 a.m. until dark. Commercial sales are prohibited; only personal property may be sold.
Rockford City Manager Thad Beard said the ordinance was created because some residents were holding daily sales or operating what amounted to flea markets.
"We're not trying to come down and prohibit business or garage sales in the neighborhoods. That certainly was not our intent," Beard said. "We just had no ability to control it. We wanted to be thoughtful."
Beard emphasized that the city wanted to avoid placing financial burdens or undue restrictions on typical neighborhood garage sales.
Some residents were unaware of the new ordinance until city officials approached them during their sales.
"Until the officer came up and told us, handed us a card, and said we had to scan a QR code to register our sale," said Crystal Lovell, a Rockford resident holding a garage sale.
Another resident, Jeff Rowley, had a similar experience but found the registration process straightforward. "The permit took like 45 seconds," Rowley said.
Both residents expressed no concerns about the new regulations.
"If that's what it takes to keep the neighborhood happy, then I don't see any harm in it," Lovell said.
Failure to obtain a permit or exceeding the sale limits could result in fines starting at $100, with repeat offenses up to $500.
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