The Ceres City Council is poised to set the mechanism in place to conduct an annual one-day yard sale for the community.

On Monday the council agreed to amend the Ceres Municipal Code to make it happen.

“I just think it’s a great opportunity for neighborhoods and communities to get together, possibly have block sales where everybody on the street has a yard sale that day or garage sale,” said Vice Mayor Bret Silveira. “Maybe they become better acquainted as neighbors, maybe they end up having lifelong friendships and relationships from that.”

He suggested the city possibly posting addresses of block sales on its website.

“This could be huge for our community.”

Councilwoman Rosalinda Vierra brought forth the idea after a Ceres couple asked the city in October to consider expanding the number of days which garage or yard sales could be held. When city staff delved into the issues and state law, however, it proved to be more complicated.

City Manager Doug Dunford presented different information than what Community Development Director Christopher Hoem stated on Jan. 22. On Monday Dunford stated that the Ceres Municipal Code allows a resident to have a garage sale, by permit only, of up to three consecutive days; or two consecutive weekends not exceeding four days. Because a resident is allowed two garage sale permits in a 12-month period – if there are at least four months between the sale permits – this could mean a resident could  have eight sale days per calendar year.

A third garage sale permit would require a Conditional Use Permit from the Planning Commission.

In January, Hoem stated that the city considered a Friday-Saturday-Sunday sale as three sales by state law and thus exceeds Ceres’ limit of two and he suggested the city may have to amend the Ceres Municipal code.

Hoem has since left his post.

State law requires anyone holding a garage sale on more than two separate days within a 12-month period to obtain a California Seller’s Permit and to keep certain financial records. The city does not require permanent or detailed records in its definition of a garage sale.

However, Dunford said the city could hold a one-day citywide yard sale in which no permits are required.

“Only the city can have a yard sale to get around the permit requirement but it would be free to everybody that would want to participate,” said Dunford.

Ceres resident Gene Yeakley warned that yard sales can get out of handle and he scoffed at the idea that code enforcement can deal with problems.

“It’s a bad idea,” said Yeakley. “It should stay the way it is. Half the people don’t get permits anyway, probably more than half.”

Councilwoman Vierra said she would like to see the sale date coordinated close to the bulky waste pickup day.

The next step for the council is to amend the Ceres Municipal Code.