Albany outdoor couch law to take effect

ALBANY — It will still be all right to be a couch potato in Albany after Jan. 1 — so long as you do it in your own home.

A new city ordinance will make it unlawful for city residents to have indoor furniture on the outside of a home. The law, officials say, is designed to eliminate another eyesore in an ongoing battle against blight.

Code Enforcement Director Mike Tilson said Tuesday that it might take a few months to gain compliance. He said officials will get progressively stricter with the ordinance, so he hopes residents “will start to voluntarily take this furniture to the streets and let Public Works take it away.”

Judy Bowles, director of Keep Albany-Dougherty Beautiful, says improper exterior display of furniture shows a lack of pride.

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Information from: The Albany Herald, http://albanyherald.net