(A) Commercial home solicitation and commercial home distribution on private property.
(1) It shall be unlawful for any person to conduct commercial home solicitation or commercial home distribution upon residential property within the city without first obtaining a written permit as prescribed by this chapter.
(2) It shall be unlawful to approach any part of a residence other than the front door.
(3) It shall be unlawful for any person(s), handbill distributors, or commercial home solicitors to distribute or cause to be distributed, deposited, placed, thrown, scattered, or cast, any handbill upon any residential property except:
(a) By handing or transmitting such handbill directly to the owner or occupant then present in or upon such private premises; or
(b) By placing or depositing the same in a manner to secure and prevent such handbill from being blown or drifting about such premises, except that mailboxes may not be used when prohibited by federal postal laws or regulations.
(4) It shall be unlawful for any person to distribute or cause to be distributed, deposited, placed, thrown, scattered, or cast any handbill upon any residential property or to go upon any residential premises for the purpose of commercial home solicitation; or commercial home distribution; and ring the doorbell, knock upon the door or create any sound for the purpose of attracting the attention of the occupants of the residence if:
(a) Requested by anyone thereon not to do so; or
(b) If there is placed on such premises in a conspicuous place upon or near the main entrance to the residence, a weatherproof sign, not less than three inches by four inches in size bearing the words "no trespassing," "no peddlers," "no advertisements," "no solicitation," "no handbills," or any similar notice indicating in any manner that the occupants of such premises do not desire to have any such handbills left upon their premises. The letters on such signs shall be not less than two-thirds of an inch in height.
(5) It shall be unlawful for any person to employ, use, or otherwise put into service, a child who is 15 years of age or less to engage in a commercial home solicitation or commercial home distribution, unless the child is soliciting or distributing within 1,000 feet of the child's home, or the child is actively supervised by an adult at least 18 years of age who is within 100 feet of the child, or who has written consent from a parent or legal guardian for a charitable purpose.
(6) No person shall leave any unsolicited pamphlet, unsolicited brochure, unsolicited flyer, unsolicited package, or unsolicited printed advertisement at a residence at a place further than five feet from the front door of the residence.
(B) Display of identification.
(1) The person(s) in charge of conducting commercial home solicitation or commercial home distribution shall ensure that all commercial home solicitors, or commercial home distributors involved, possess on their person photo identification, such as a valid driver license, or other valid governmental identification that correctly identifies whom the solicitor/distributor is and for whom the solicitor/distributor is working.
(2) It shall be unlawful for any commercial home solicitor(s) or commercial home distributor(s) to fail or refuse to show or display such identification upon the request of any person.
(3) (a) It shall be unlawful for any commercial home solicitors or commercial home distributors to engage in commercial home solicitation or commercial home distribution without having a copy of the permit in their possession, except that where the person who will be peddling or soliciting is 15 years of age or less.
(b) Such person shall be supervised by a person who is over the age of 18 years of age and who shall obtain a license on behalf of the person to be supervised.
(4) The permit holder must ensure that the permit is properly displayed while conducting peddling, commercial home solicitation, or commercial home distribution activities. Properly displayed shall mean attached or hung so that the permit is clearly visible to the public and law enforcement officials.
(5) It shall be unlawful for any person to conduct themselves as a commercial home distributor without wearing an orange traffic safety vest.
(C) Solicitation in selected public right-of-way.
(1) It shall be unlawful for any person to solicit or to distribute handbills on, in, upon, or around any public right-of-way, with or without a permit.
(2) Employees of the City of Maud are hereby exempt from the provisions of division (1) above, provided approval is first obtained from the Mayor or his designee.
(D) Solicitation for purposes not set out in the application. It shall be unlawful for any commercial home solicitor to solicit for a purpose other than that set out in the application upon which the permit was issued.
(Ord. 20-0214, passed 2-18-2020)