PERU, Ind. (AP) -- Residents of a small Indiana city are now being required to pay $5 to hold a yard sale. The Kokomo Tribune (http://bit.ly/1FsyqCk) reports that the Peru City Council approved the new fee this week. City regulations limit residents to holding two rummage sales each year not lasting longer than seven days apiece. But Dennis See, head of Peru's zoning and code enforcement, said that was difficult to enforce previously without residents being required to have documentation. See said a few residents held yard sales for months at a time last year, making their property look "like a junkyard." "We're not on a witch hunt here," See said. "We're not trying to slap everybody with this . We're hoping to deter the real abusers now that we have the leverage to make them stop." Council member Gabe Greer says the new fee adds an unnecessary burden to holding a yard sale. "I understand it would help enforce the ordinance, but I don't think we should add a fee and a process to what most people take for granted they can do just for the sake of making an ordinance easier to enforce," Greer said. To offset the new fee, Miami County Chamber of Commerce President Sandy Chittum said there are plans to hold a city-wide garage sale May through August on the second weekend of each month. "I know some people might be upset about the fee, but this can help calm the waters a little bit," Chittum said.