Reedley Municipal Code Ch. 5 Hawkers, Solicitors and Peddlers

HAWKER, SOLICITOR, MERCHANDISER, SALESPERSON, PEDDLER AND VENDOR: All persons, both principal and agent, whether or not they be religious or charitable entities, who go from house to house or to one house only, and for value sell or solicit for sale, by sample or otherwise, goods, wares, merchandise, services, magazines, periodicals, other publications, or subscriptions for the same (regularly published newspapers excepted), for themselves or for firms which do or do not have an established place of business in the city or who offer to sell or distribute for value to any person any coupon, certificate, ticket or card which is redeemable in goods, wares, merchandise or services.

Excluded from this definition shall be residents of the city who participate in fundraising efforts of local public or local private schools or other local entities exempt from federal income tax pursuant to United States Code title 26 section 501(c)(3). For the purposes of this paragraph the term "local" shall mean of or pertaining to public or private schools or other entities which, for a period of six (6) continuous months prior to the date fundraising activities commence, have had a street address within the city limits.

HOUSE: A house, abode, dwelling, home, apartment, condominium, residence, mobile home, townhouse, villa, hospital, clinic, infirmary, medical center or sanitorium.

INTERVIEWER AND CANVASSER: Subject to the exception set forth in the definition of "hawker", all persons, both principal and agent, who go from house to house, or to one house only, and interview persons, solicit oral or written answers from persons, or canvass persons, neighborhoods or districts, in order to determine opinions, attitudes or sentiments for purposes of marketing research, opinion research, attitude research or the polling or the gathering of information, except that persons engaged in religious or government activities shall be excluded from this definition. (Ord. 750, 5-28-1991)

A. All hawkers, solicitors, merchandisers, salespersons, peddlers, vendors, interviewers and canvassers are hereby required to register with the police department of the city by submitting two (2) satisfactory photographs of the applicant, a fee in an amount to be set by resolution and a signed application, the supplied information on which shall be declared by the applicant under penalty of perjury to be true and correct, on an application form to be provided by the police department, which form shall elicit the names, aliases, social security number, date of birth and residence address of the applicant; the name of the organization, business, company, concern, establishment, enterprise, firm, institution or society, if any, for which the applicant proposes to act; a statement that the applicant has not been convicted of a felony involving moral turpitude within five (5) years prior to the time of making application, is presently not on parole for conviction of a felony involving moral turpitude, and has not been convicted of any crime involving sexual matters within ten (10) years prior to the time of making application.

B. Any organization, business, company, concern, establishment, enterprise, firm, institution or society sponsoring or employing or utilizing the services of, any hawker, solicitor, merchandiser, salesperson, peddler, vendor, interviewer or canvasser shall, before any such persons act as such, pay to the police department a fee in an amount to be set by resolution and present to and keep updated with the police department a list of the names, aliases, residence addresses, social security numbers and dates of birth of such persons, together with the name of the entity itself and its business address and phone number, the name of its chief executive officer and his residence address and phone number and written disclosure of the information described by the provisions of Business and Professions Code section 17510.3(a).

C. All hawkers, solicitors, merchandisers, salespersons, peddlers, vendors, interviewers and canvassers, when operating as such, shall display on the front of their person an identification card issued to them by the police department and shall, in any case, exhibit said identification card on demand of any peace officer, which card shall be of the design and materials chosen and supplied by the person or entity proposing to be permitted and to which card shall be affixed by the police department one of the two (2) submitted photographs, which card shall further set forth the name of the person (and, if applicable, the name of any entity for which he operates), the date of issuance of the card and the expiration date of the registration, which shall be one year after issuance of the identification card, after which expiration registration may be renewed pursuant to the provisions of this section.

D. No hawker, solicitor, merchandiser, salesperson, peddler, vendor, interviewer or canvasser and no sponsoring or employing entity shall be permitted to operate as such within the city who has not complied with the requirements of subsections A, B and C of this section. (Ord. 750, 5-28-1991)

No person shall operate as a hawker, solicitor, merchandiser, salesperson, peddler, vendor, interviewer or canvasser within the city on Sundays or on Monday through Saturday between the hours of seven o'clock (7:00) P.M. of one day and ten o'clock (10:00) A.M. of the next succeeding day, local time, except by prior appointment. (Ord. 750, 5-28-1991)

No goods, wares, merchandise, services, magazines, periodicals, or other publications, or subscriptions for the same (regularly published newspapers excepted) shall be sold, hawked, solicited for sale, merchandised, peddled or vended, except the owner or resident of the house be: a) given a receipt that shall include the name, address and phone number of the registered person or the names, addresses and phone numbers of the registered person and his registered sponsoring or employing entity, as reported pursuant to subsections 5-5-2A and B of this chapter; and b) entitled within twenty four (24) hours thereafter to rescind the sale or reject the proffered service, upon full exchange of consideration between the parties which shall take place within a reasonable time after rescission, and in no event later than three (3) days thereafter. (Ord. 750, 5-28-1991)