The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will weigh next week whether to put in place stern new regulation for portable storage containers like the popular “PODS.”

The board may set new restrictions that would limit how long the units can sit on properties, with an exception that would grant a longer period in the aftermath of disasters. The containers are now largely unregulated and have drawn complaints as community eyesores and traffic hazards.

Under the new guidelines, “there would be a reasonable balance between the appropriate use of these containers and the protection of nearby properties,” county spokeswoman Merni Fitzgerald said.

“Other homeowners don’t want to be looking at these storage facilities in the front lawn,” she added.

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The ordinance would set up a new permit system that homeowners would need to pass to set up one of the storage units. For properties more than 36,000 square feet in size, the use of the containers would be limited to 60 consecutive days, Fitzgerald said. On smaller lots, the use of the units would be limited to 30 days.

Following emergencies — such as last year’s flooding in Huntington that damaged scores of homes and caused millions of dollars in property damage — that term would be extended to six months or the duration of an active building permit, according to Fitzgerald.

A spokeswoman for PODS Enterprises Inc., a well-known supplier of the trailer-like containers, could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

wflook@dcexaminer.com