Traverse City imposes restrictions on popular Halloween attraction

The City of Traverse City has imposed new restrictions on ‘Dead Ends on Spruce,’ a popular free Halloween attraction operated by homeowner Nate Taylor. The city’s actions follow a neighbor's complaint alleging that the display is actually a for-profit business.

Taylor maintains that the attraction does not charge admission, sell tickets, or sell merchandise, noting that he pays for the display himself and only accepts donations. In response to the complaint, the city applied zoning regulations regarding ‘home occupations.’ These regulations limit such operations to eight vehicle ‘trip-ends’ per day. Because an arrival and a departure each count as a trip-end, the rule effectively restricts the property to approximately four round-trip vehicle visits per day.