Everman staff previews proposed permit for door-to-door solicitors after hailstorm complaints

City staff presented a draft ordinance Tuesday outlining a permitting and registration process for door-to-door solicitors in Everman, saying the measure responds to numerous resident calls after a recent hailstorm.

The proposal, presented to the Everman City Council by a city staff member, would amend the city's existing article on peddlers and solicitors to require business registration and individual registration for each solicitor, visible identification while soliciting and a one-year permit term. “We get calls all the time … are they legit or not? … we should have some sort of registration process and permitting process,” the staff member said.

The ordinance is not being voted on tonight; staff asked council to review the draft and return with input at a later meeting. The staff member said enforcement would be handled by the police department while permits would be issued through the permitting department and that the city could opt to charge a permit fee.

Councilmembers asked how enforcement would work in practice, whether each person on a solicitor team would carry a permit or ID, how long a permit would last and whether city flyers or city-contracted door-to-door notices would be covered. A councilmember asked, “Would they have something with them that shows that they have a permit?” The staff member replied that the draft “requires them to wear it where it's visible,” and confirmed the proposed term is one year.

Staff also noted the draft would allow residents to post “no solicitor” signs that would be enforceable even against permitted solicitors, and recommended the city spotlight the new rule on the city website when adopted. The staff member said many cities already require permits and that Everman is “one of the few cities currently that don't require permits.”

Councilmembers and staff emphasized this is a first review and that changes — including whether to charge a fee or additional enforcement mechanisms — can be made before formal introduction and a vote.

The ordinance draft identifies the existing ordinance article being amended as the city’s peddlers/solicitors ordinance and references a U.S. Supreme Court precedent noted by staff as limiting total bans on door-to-door solicitation; staff did not cite a specific case. Council did not take formal action tonight and asked staff to return the item for consideration at a future meeting.