Porch couches could be axed after code update

POSTED AT 11:32 PM ON Nov. 29, 2012

Renters, get your indoor couch off your outside porch.

Thats one of the changes the Bloomington City Council approved in the Bloomington Property Maintenance Code on Nov. 14.

Changes in smoke detector requirements dominated the debate during the Property Maintenance Code updating process, but other changes are coming soon.

Couches, armchairs and futons are among the traditional indoor furniture that dot Bloomington front porches. In the near future, rental property tenants will be banned from using such seating and instead be limited to using only designated outdoor furniture.

The ban on upholstered porch furniture wont immediately go into effect. A review of certain parts of the Property Maintenance Code by the Indiana Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission is tentatively set for February 2013.

Housing and Neighborhood Development Director Lisa Abbott said she worked on the updates for months. The codes most recent update was in 2003.

Much of the property in Bloomington is rental units. In 2011, there were 21,612 registered rental units in the city, accounting for 60 percent of total housing, according to city records.

The neighborhoods have been asking for this for a long time, for a number of reasons, Abbott said.

She cited neighbor complaints on weather-exposed upholstered furniture that often begins to smell due to mildew. Aesthetic concerns of older front porch furniture also played into some complaints.

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Porch couches could be axed after code update