The Richfield City Council unanimously passed a first reading on Aug. 26 of an ordinance tightening rules for temporary outdoor portable storage containers, approving amendments that set a 60-day consecutive limit for most uses, restrict annual cumulative use to 90 days, cap containers at two in most circumstances and explicitly ban human or animal habitation in the containers.

The change applies to portable hard-sided storage containers placed on private property. The ordinance as amended keeps the previously proposed maximum container size of 16 by 8 by 8 feet and adds language clarifying permitted placement and time limits. The council voted to send the ordinance to second reading on Sept. 9.

City staff told the council the ordinance responds to recurring resident complaints about older, rusted containers being left in yards or driveways for months and years, creating aesthetic and sight-line problems. The staff presentation described examples where residents reported containers stored along edges of properties and alleys and noted the city’s interest in keeping containers off lawns and in driveways or other hard parking surfaces.

Council members debated the appropriate default time limit. Several members said 30 days was too short for renovations and family cleanouts; others warned a longer no-questions-asked period could allow objectionable long-term storage. The council settled on 60 consecutive days by right for typical uses, with a limit of 90 days total per calendar year, and directed staff to draft language that allows staff to approve reasonable extensions for active construction or similar circumstances. Council members also agreed that two smaller containers could be allowed if their combined footprint does not exceed the maximum, with a narrower allowance for multiple containers when the use is simply household cleanout rather than active construction.

Council members also instructed staff to clarify placement rules: containers must be on a hard surface designed for parking (driveway) and not on lawns or in streets, and staff should resolve conflicting code language about areas reserved for parking. Staff noted that dumpsters placed on streets currently require a public works permit; the same restrictions would inform container placement. The council rejected an amendment that would broadly allow placement on grass.

The council adopted an explicit prohibition on using containers for human or animal habitation and included a staff-directed process for limited exceptions or waivers tied to demonstrated active renovation or similar legitimate reasons. The first-reading vote approved the ordinance as amended; the ordinance will return for a second reading with the clarifying language requested by council members and staff.

The discussion occurred during the council’s regular meeting agenda item described as “consider approval of a first reading of an ordinance amending sections 11.35 and 9.25 of the Richfield City Code” regarding temporary outdoor portable storage containers.

Less critical details: staff said the city sees a mix of commercially sized moving pods and older, poorly maintained containers in different neighborhoods; the amendments aim to address aesthetics, safety and utilities concerns while providing flexibility for legitimate renovation and family circumstances.