(a) Registration Required. No person shall act as a canvasser or a canvasser for charitable or religious purposes or as a door-to-door salesperson in interstate commerce at any residence without the invitation or previous consent of the owners or occupants without first having registered with the City Clerk. No fee shall be required. However, the City Clerk shall issue a registration certificate to each applicant and such certificate shall be carried on the person of the registrant at all times when engaged in such canvassing, solicitation or sales and shown on request of any police officer or any person of whom a request for contribution or offer to sell is made. Such registration shall not be used or represented in any way as an endorsement by the City. Each canvasser or solicitor shall provide a written receipt and, if applicable, a statement attesting to the organization's exempt status under Section 501 of the Federal Internal Revenue Code if requested to do so by the person making a contribution or purchase. Such receipt shall show the name of the organization, amount of the contribution and the date and shall be signed by the solicitor.
An organization which desires to place a number of canvassers or solicitors for charitable or religious purposes at residences in the City simultaneously may make a group application to cover all of them, even if such application is for more than one fund raising event during the period for which the certificate is valid; however, separate registration certificates shall be issued to each canvasser or solicitor or, in lieu thereof, a separate information card shall be issued to each canvasser or solicitor by the registered organization. Such information card shall include, at a minimum, the name of the registered organization; a description of the purpose of the solicitation; the period for which the registration was issued and the name of the canvasser or solicitor.
(b) Registration Application: Contents. Application for a certificate of registration shall be made upon a form provided by the City Manager. Each application shall contain, among other information, the name, address and the phone number of the person completing the application; the name, address and telephone number of the company or organization for which he purports to act; the name of an officer or other official of such company or organization; the nature of the charitable or religious purpose to which the contributions, donations or sale proceeds will be applied in the case of canvassers for charitable or religious purposes; the nature of the goods or services for which he will take orders in the case of door- to-door salespersons in interstate commerce; the compensation, if any, which he or other canvassers are to receive for their services at residences within the City; a written commitment that such person(s) shall comply with Chapter 191 of the Codified Ordinances; and such other information as the City Manager may require.
(c) One Year Limitation. In no case shall any registration certificate for door-to-door salespersons in interstate commerce at residences be valid for more than a one year period. All certificates of registration shall state the expiration date thereof.
(d) Exceptions. The provisions of this section shall not apply to solicitations conducted only among the members of the entity or organization conducting the canvassing or to those in the form of collections or contributions at the regular assemblies, meetings or services of any such established charitable or religious organization.
(e) Registration Revocation.
(1) Any registration issued hereunder shall be revoked by the City Manager if the holder thereof is convicted of a violation of any of the provisions of this chapter, or has made a false material statement in the application.
(2) Immediately upon such revocation, written notice thereof shall be given by the City Manager to the holder of the registration in person or by certified U.S. mail addressed to his or her residence address as set forth in the application. Immediately upon the giving of such notice the license shall become null and void.
(3) The holder of a revoked registration may seek immediate judicial review by direct appeal to the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas.
(f) Fraudulent Solicitations Prohibited.
(1) No person, canvasser or solicitor shall make or perpetrate any misstatement, deception or fraud in connection with any solicitation of any contribution for any charitable purpose.
(2) No person having entered into an agreement to conduct any solicitation on behalf of any person for any charitable purpose shall fail to remit or pay to the party entitled thereto the proceeds of such solicitation in accordance with the true terms of the agreement.