An Edmonton man who has battled for weeks for his right to maintain an apparent "never-ending yard sale" faced down a city-appointed board Wednesday, and threatened to keep stalling for years if that what it takes to win.

The city issued an order on August 14 that directed property owner Matthew Peter to clean up his yard. Peter appealed that order to the community standards committee, which upheld the order.

When Peter refused to back down, the city applied for a court injunction that would allow a crew to clean up the property. The case was heard in court on Sept. 15, and the city is now waiting for the judge to rule.

Peter warned members of the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board that he is prepared for a lengthy legal battle.

"If you folks uphold this order … I'm going to appeal," he said. "It's going to go to the Court of Queen's Bench. That's going to be another six months. If I lose at the Court of Queen's Bench, I'll appeal it to the court of appeal. It think that's two years. This yard sale could be going on for two-and-a-half more years."

Lauren Allan passes the yard sale every day on her way to university and thinks it's an eyesore. (CBC) The yard sale has been the talk for the McKernan neighbourhood since July. Peter's yard is crammed with everything from pots and pans to dirt-devil vacuum cleaners.

Neighbour Louis Lynn said he's sick and tired of the jumble.

"For me, I've sort of tuned it out," he said. "But my wife hasn't. It's really been stressful on her."

But Peter said he will keep up the fight until the city clarifies its bylaws. He told the board there are no regulations that restrict the length of time a yard sale can go on, and argued that words such as "unsightly" and "nuisance" are vague and open to interpretation.

"It's a matter of opinion as to what a nuisance is," he said.

A development officer deemed the yard sale was a second-hand store and thus required a suitable business licence.

"There is no second-hand store on this property," Peter said. "It's just simply a yard sale. And contrary to popular belief, there is no limit on the number of days that a yard sale can operate."

City development officer Justin Young confirmed for the board that there is, in fact, no wording in any bylaw that sets limits on the length of a garage sale.

"The city provides guidelines on their website," he said, "saying that a garage sale or yard sale can last up to three days. Like Mr. Peter said, this is not actually legislation, it's a guideline."

At some point, the city must decide that a yard sale without end has become an ongoing commercial venture, which would require a business licence, Young said.

Ryan Pleckaitis, the city's director for complaints, said in an interview Wednesday that officials are doing all they can to shut down the yard sale.

"We recognize that it's not just having an impact on the neighbours who are directly adjacent to this never-ending yard sale," he said. "It's having a broader impact on the community. We are going through the proper legal process to be able to take action. I would ask the community for some more patience."

Lauren Allan walks past the yard twice a day on her way to and from the University of Alberta.

"It's a bit of an eyesore," she said. "It's kind of reached a point where it's turned into garbage. I don't remember the last time I saw it open. It's mostly always closed."

Closed, but not shut down. And so the battle continues.