Columbia Display of certain items prohibited ordinance (§ 11-327)
Chapter 11: Health and Sanitation · Article XI. Aesthetic Regulations
In short: Residents and occupants can't leave certain items outside where they're visible from off the property for more than 48 hours. These include appliances, bedding, boxes, cans, indoor furniture, tires, scrap metal, vehicle parts, water heaters, and lumber or building materials that aren't neatly stacked.
Our plain-English summary, not the official text or legal advice. The ordinance below is what counts.
It shall be unlawful for the owner or occupant of any residential premises within the city to allow any of the following items to remain on such premises, for longer than 48 hours, in any location outside of the residence which can be viewed from a ground location off the premises:
appliances, bedding, bottles, boxes, broken glass, cans, cardboard, cartons, furniture manufactured for indoor use only, household appliances, jars, lumber and building supply materials that are not neatly stacked, machine parts, motor vehicle parts, pallets, paper, plumbing fixtures, rags, scrap metal, tire
rims, tires, water heaters.
Official source: City of Columbia official Code of Ordinances (online): look up Sec. 11-327
Text from Supplement 139 (September 3, 2026).
Last checked November 1, 2026. The city's official copy controls; this page is a reading copy, not legal advice.