Little Free Libraries Legalized in Whitefish Bay

Whitefish Bay residents are now free to erect their own Little Free Libraries.

Whitefish Bay became the first known municipality to effectively ban the miniature bookshelves last year, when trustees decided to enforce an ordinance that prohibits front-yard structures. Trustees decided to reverse course in May, but it wasn't until Monday night's Village Board meeting that formal rules were agreed upon.

With the board's action, Little Free Library boxes are limited in dimensions to 3 feet wide, 3 feet tall, and three feet deep. The boxes must be mounted on a single pole, and the overall structure can be no taller than 6 feet. Only one library is allowed on each side of a village block.

The Village Board rejected a staff suggestion that would have required a building permit and Architectural Review Commission approval of all Little Free Libraries.

The Village Board first took up the Little Free Library issue in November after a couple asked the building inspector for permission to build one in their yard. Trustees found that regulating the size, color and number of Little Free Libraries became a "hornet's nest" and decided instead to simply enforce the existing ordinance that outlaws any front-yard structures.

The village had ordered Christ Church of Whitefish Bay remove the Little Free Library it had erected four months earlier in July 2012. With the board's action Monday night, the church's Little Free Library has been reposted and is open for book swapping.