(A) It shall be unlawful for any person to beg, panhandle, or solicit for personal benefit of the solicitor upon the streets or any other public property in the unincorporated areas of Wake County without obtaining the written permission of Wake County, as evidenced by obtaining a permit from the Department of Environmental Services. A permit shall be valid for six months from the date of issuance. In the event a holder violates any provision of this chapter, Wake County may revoke the holder's permit.
(B) It shall be unlawful for any person to obstruct pedestrian traffic or vehicular traffic while engaging in any activity permitted under this section.
(C) This section shall not apply to:
(1) The lawful solicitation of contributions from the public for personal, charitable or eleemosynary purposes if in areas and a manner otherwise permitted by law;
(2) The promotion or expression of views concerning political, social, religious, and other like matters if in areas and a manner otherwise permitted by law;
(3) Licensees, employees, or contractors of the Department of Transportation or of any municipality engaged in construction, maintenance, or in making traffic or engineering surveys;
(4) Distribution of newspapers on the non-traveled portion of any street or highway except when those distribution activities impede the normal movement of traffic on the street or highway.
(D) If this chapter or application thereof to any person or circumstance is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of the chapter which can be given separate effect and to this end, the provisions of this chapter are declared to be severable.
(Ord. passed 11-7-2011; Am. Ord. passed 5-21-2012)