Torrance Municipal Code Art. 3 Handbills

(Amended by O-1274; O-2176; O-2129; O-2288; O-2843; O-3229; O-3354; O-3364; O-3400)

a) A license tax shall be payable under this Section for distributing any handbill. The term handbill shall include any handbill, dodger, circular, folder, booklet, letter, card, pamphlet, sheet, poster, sticker, banner, notice or other written, printed or painted matter which advertises any business, person or product; provided, however, that the term handbill shall not include printed information or materials prepared by and distributed by California licensed real estate brokers or agents in the normal course of their real estate practice.

b) The license tax for distributing handbills shall be either Thirty-Two Dollars ($32.00)* per day per person with a maximum daily tax of One Hundred Twenty-Eight Dollars ($128.00)*, or, at the discretion of the licensee, an annual license tax of Three Thousand Three Hundred Seventy-Two Dollars ($3,372.00)* per calendar year; provided, however, that when the cumulative total of daily license taxes paid by a licensee during any one (1) calendar year reaches Three Thousand Three Hundred Seventy-Two Dollars ($3,372.00)2 it shall be treated as an annual license tax for the rest of that calendar year.

All handbills must be delivered to the door of any house, apartment or place of business, or handed to a person, and not otherwise left or thrown upon private or public property. One (1) copy only of the same handbill shall be delivered to any house, apartment, place of business or person in any one (1) day. This Section shall not apply to handbills sent through the United States mails.

No handbill shall be placed within or upon any automobile or other vehicle.

No person shall distribute free of charge, except in an established place of business, any samples containing drugs or medicines.

(Amended by O-2288)

a) There shall be no license tax or permit required for the distribution of religious or political literature.

b) If a handbill which contains religious or political literature also contains any commercial advertising matter of any kind or description whatsoever, it shall be deemed to be a commercial handbill and the distribution shall be taxable as provided in Section 33.3.1.

c) All such religious or political literature must be delivered to the door of any house or place of business, or handed to a person, and not otherwise thrown upon private or public property.

d) One (1) copy only of the same religious or political literature shall be delivered to any house, apartment, place of business or person in any one day without the express consent of the owner or occupant thereof, or of such person.

(Added by O-3357; O-3381)

No person shall distribute, deposit, place, throw, scatter or cast or cause or hire others to distribute, deposit, place, throw, scatter or cast any commercial or noncommercial handbill upon any premises if requested by anyone thereon not to do so, or if there is placed on said premises in a conspicuous position near the entrance a sign bearing the words: "No Trespassing," "No Peddlers," "No Advertisement," "No Canvassers," "No Solicitors" or any similar notice, indicating in any manner that the occupants of said premises do not desire to be molested or to have their right of privacy disturbed, or to have any such handbills left upon such premises.