Spokane City Council doubles number of permissible garage, yard sales

Spokane residents can hold a couple more garage and yard sales this year without violating city laws.

The Spokane City Council on Monday unanimously passed revisions to the city’s laws permitting temporary residential sales that double the number that can be held in a calendar year. In Spokane, home owners can hold up to four sales annually, up from two under the previous law.

City Councilwoman Karen Stratton, the sponsor of the legislation, said it was intended to ease concerns of individual homeowners hoping to raise money for different organizations, including churches and Boy and Girl scout troops.

The city will enforce the new ordinance on a complaint-based system. A first violation could net a fine of $56. Repeat offenders could be charged $131.

Sales cannot last longer than three days at a time.