Yard sale. Flea Market. Will proposals afect bargain hunters here?

One man’s junk is another man’s treasure. What better way to get rid of unwanted items than a yard sale or flea market?However, the staff of planning and development has proposed a new code to regulate yard sales and flea markets in Pike County. A new chapter, 160, would put restrictions on yard sales and prohibit flea markets in all agricultural and residential districts.Under the proposal, no yard sale could be conducted for more than three consecutive days and must be held during daylight hours. A Pike resident could hold no more than six yard sales a year, whether it be on their own property or that of a neighbor, with written permission.No items could be displayed nor could cars be parked on a county or state right of way. A yard sale could not create a nuisance to neighbors or hinder traffic. Yard sale items could not be stored outdoors, except during the course of a single sale. Yard sale signs must adhere to the county code and may not be posted more than five days before a yard sale is to commence. They must be removed with 24 hours after it has ended.Professional estate sales, in which a large part of someone’s belongings are sold, follow the same criteria except for allowing three days prior and after a sale for the outdoor storage of goods.A flea market could not be a home business. To operate a flea market in any commercial or industrial district, the granting of a special exception would be needed. Operation of a permitted flea market would require a non-trades business license. Excessive yard sales would be considered flea markets.Anyone who violates the code could be cited. The case would be tried in magistrate court.The planning staff has also proposed a new chapter to address mailbox construction. It would prohibit custom-built mailboxes along roadways in unincorporated Pike except on streets with a posted speed limit of 25 miles per hour or less. Covenants in those areas could dictate mailbox construction.Mailboxes impacted by the code would be required to be made of materials that would yield upon impact by a motor vehicle, not masonry.