In a 7 to 0 vote, the Fayetteville City Council approved a new ordinance to place tougher restrictions on those kinds of sales. The city decided to implement changes because of complaints from residents.
But the restrictions won’t ban door-to-door sales people
“They would have to be required to give us a criminal history check from the Arkansas State Police and pay a very small fee and carry identification to show that they are in fact authorized to sell door to door,” said the city’s attorney Kit Williams.
Solicitors will have to pay a $45 fee for a permit from the city planning division and there will also be restrictions on hours, allowing door-to-door sales only from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
City planner Andrew Garner says establishing a new program like this requires a lot of manpower.
“It involves just building up the permit database, setting it up to put in addresses or vendors, background information and then setting up the actual permit forms to print out and then training staff,” he said.
The new restrictions will be enforced by police and whether solicitors have a permit or not, homeowners can still refuse any type of sales, according to Williams.
“If someone is violating it and the police learn about it then they will come and investigated,” Williams said. “If they see the person in the act, they can actually arrest them but normally what they would do is give them a citation.”
There are three exemptions to the new ordinance, including political activists, religious groups and school children, Williams said.
If someone does not have a permit, homeowners can call police and also file a complaint with the city attorney, who can also fine a person or company for violating the ordinance.