Residents who do not wish for people coming door-to-door to knock on their door, ring their doorbell, or allow entry into their residential premises, may register with the city their address as a "Do Not Knock" residence. The city shall maintain a registry of all "Do Not Knock" residences and promote wide distribution of the registry on the city's website and to any persons going door-to-door, including any organization doing so. And, the city shall provide signs with the message "This Home is a Do Not Knock Home - Solicitation Prohibited Per City Ordinance" giving notice to persons going door-to-door that the location is a "Do Not Knock" residence. Where a "Do Not Knock" sign is posted on a property and a person going door-to-door knocks on the door, rings the doorbell, or otherwise enters the premises (including the front yard, driveway, front stoop, doorstep, etc.) of the residence shall be in violation of this chapter; a criminal offense. The person may also be in offense of the criminal trespass laws of the Texas Penal Code. Actual notice that a property is a "Do Not Knock" residence is not a defense to a criminal prosecution for a violation of this offense. Any group, company, or person intending to go door-to-door in the city has a duty to get the most up-to-date registry of "Do Not Knock" residences and to be on the lookout for "Do Not Knock" signs and to strictly avoid the "Do Not Knock" residences in compliance with this chapter.
(Ord. 10-01-2019DTD, passed 10-1-2019)