New City Ordinances Have Taken Effect in Boca

By: Michael Demyan

Multiple new city ordinances have taken effect in Boca Raton after being passed by the city council last year.

Ordinances are passed regularly at city council meetings, however three of them, which were all passed unanimously, could have a direct impact on city residents moving forward.

Ordinance 5469 focuses on fertilizer use and was passed last September. The goal is to minimize the discharge of nitrogen and phosphorus into bodies of water around the county.

Most Palm Beach County cities, along with Boca Raton, are adapting the ordinance, which forbids fertilizer containing the nutrients to be used before seeding or sodding a site. That type of fertilizer is also prohibited from being placed within 10 feet of any body of water or wetland. Any repeat offenders will be fined if they continue to disobey the ordinance after a warning.

Another ordinance that has gone into effect clarifies the definition of a garage sale in the city.

“There’s been some complaints received by the city regarding excessive numbers of garage sales held by some properties to the extent that some properties essentially constitute a business operation,” said Brandon Schaad, the development services director of Boca Raton.

The new ordinance requires those who wish to host a garage sale to apply for a free permit. Sales can also only be held four times per year at the same residence from the hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with each sale only being able to last for two days at a time. Repeat offenders will be fined $150, which can increase if the offender continues to disregard the ordinance.

Ordinance 5474 will allow for direct citations by code enforcement officers for various violations, which was brought about due to the previous time consuming method, which usually cited the property owner rather than the actual violator.

“The direct citation ordinance is designed to expedite compliance of city codes and to discourage repeat violations,” Schaad said.

The new ordinance will allow officers to cite the violator on issues including animal noises, littering, parking on grass, unlawful signs and unpermitted garage sales, among others. Officers could issue a warning prior to a written citation and violators will have a chance to contest it, however if found guilty, it could result in a higher fine.

All of these ordinances are currently in effect and enforced throughout the city of Boca Raton.