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…