SAN ANTONIO – A six-month undercover investigation by the KSAT 12 Defenders revealed repeated violations of the city's yard sale permit program in a Northeast Side neighborhood.
Among the violations captured on camera by the Defenders in front of homes located between 4200-4400 Eisenhauer Road: the same household items up for sale at three homes in less than a month, yard sale permits repeatedly purchased by people not tied to the property where the sale took place, brand new items commonly used in fencing operations for sale and yard sales taking place more than once every three months.
"This is not acceptable. We need to crack down and we're going to crack down," said San Antonio Development Services Director Michael Shannon after viewing footage of the sales.
A resident living in the area first approached the Defenders with concerns that the frequent yard sales, which typically take place between Thursday and Sunday, were tying up traffic along Eisenhauer Road as work crews were attempting to perform road work and install fiber optic cable.
However, undercover footage also showed violations of the yard sale ordinance and possibly zoning laws.
A yard sale at 4422 Eisenhauer Road on June 1 included at least six sets of dining chairs, many of which were still wrapped in plastic.
A woman operating the sale told a KSAT 12 employee posing as a prospective buyer that the chairs were "brand new."
The same woman went into the home and closed the door without answering questions minutes later when the Defenders approached her for an interview.
The sale also included multiple washing machines, a pile of tires that appeared to be unused, and a large table full of new bathroom and laundry items.
A woman selling clothing in front of the home said she had not taken part in a sale there since January, even though the Defenders had footage of her taking part in a yard sale there on March 2.
A man at the property who talked to the undercover KSAT 12 employee about the furniture for sale, minutes later claimed he was there to buy something when confronted on camera.
When told that he had been captured on video discussing the furniture, he admitted he was helping his brother with "talking to clients."
"It doesn't seem to be a typical garage sale. It seems they are running somewhat of a flea market or a small retail business at this location," said Shannon, after reviewing footage taken at 4422 Eisenhauer Road.
He pointed out that the typical used household items had been replaced by new items that in some cases were being sold in large quantities.
All eight of the homes monitored by the Defenders beginning in January had permits to host yard sales, according to city records.
However, three of the permits were purchased by people with no association to the property, according to county property records and background searches.
A half hour after the Defenders interviewed Shannon, a yard sale at 4414 Eisenhauer Road included the same dressers and dining chair set that had been for sale at two other homes in late May.
The yard sale also had at least nine commercial weed eaters for sale, as well as a table full of power tools.
The owners of homes where violations were captured on camera have received letters from Development Services warning them not to violate the city's yard sale ordinance.
Shannon said if the rule breaking continues, homeowners could face fines of up to $1,000 or even class C misdemeanor criminal charges.
Shannon encouraged people who witness what they believe to be illegal yard sales in their neighborhoods to report them to city code enforcement.
He said 12-15 code enforcement officers typically work on weekends and that last year, the city doubled the number of yard sale violation cases it opened.