LACEY, WA, May 17, 2012: At the regular meeting on May 10, 2012, the Lacey City Council passed Ordinance 1391, eliminating the requirement for bicycle registration, and Ordinance 1392, removing the license requirement for garage sales. Both ordinances, effective May 21, 2012, refine outdated city laws.
The bicycle registration requirement, originally implemented in 1973, to provide police with serial numbers to assist in recovery of lost and stolen property, has become obsolete. To date, there is no record of a registered bicycle being recovered through this manual system. The law is also unknown to many citizens—in 2011, ten bicycles were registered in Lacey.
“Our laws should be meaningful and enforceable. Removing unnecessary regulations will streamline public services for the citizens of Lacey,” stated Deputy Mayor Hearn. Voluntary registration will continue to be available to citizens through the police department. All other bicycle traffic and safety regulations contained in Lacey Municipal Code (LMC) 10.10, will remain in effect.
Garage sale regulations were adopted in 1975, to discourage trafficking of stolen property and operation of second-hand businesses without proper licensing. Lacey police department staff issued 1,210 garage sale licenses in 2011, mandating residents make a trip to City Hall for each license and requiring more than 100 hours of staff time. No citations for violations have been issued by police officers since the adoption.
Councilmember Andy Ryder affirmed, “This is a practical decision that eliminates extra work for staff and inconvenience for citizens.” Although Lacey residents will no longer need a license to hold a garage sale, the provisions of LMC 5.34 will remain—limiting the number of garage sales per year at a single residence to four, with a maximum of four days in length per sale.
For more information, contact Commander Joe Upton or Crime Prevention Officer, Sean Bell, with the Lacey Police Department at (360) 459-4333.
