At the Committee of the Whole meeting on Wednesday, July 23, North Glengarry council agreed to revisit its garage sale by-law, which has not been updated since 2017.
Director of Building, By-Law and Planning Jacob Rheaume recommended to council that the by-law be revisited to clarify garage sale rules for residents.
Currently, the by-law requires residents to apply for a permit if they hold more than five garage sales in a calendar year. Additionally, it specified the prohibition of garage sales on public property, restricting them to only residential lots.
Rheaume said staff had not been issuing permits or tracking how many sales occur at each property, largely because most residents are unaware the by-law exists. Most garage sales, he added, are small and informal.
To address this, and to allow for a clarifying explanation of details for residents, Rheaume recommended the following changes:
- Eliminate the licensing requirement altogether
- Remove the five-sale limit per calendar year
- Limit each garage sale to two consecutive days, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
- Clarify that garage sales must take place only on residential properties
Rheaume also proposed a special events exemption, allowing residents to hold garage sales during community events such as Meet Me on Main Street, without extra paperwork.
Council supported the recommendations and asked Rheaume to return with a revised by-law for approval at a future meeting.
