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Supervisors flag privacy, enforcement concerns in rewrite of solicitors and peddlers ordinance
Summary
Supervisor Moriarty and other board members said parts of the draft solicitors and peddlers ordinance are overly broad or legally problematic (fingerprinting minors, Social Security number collection) and recommended separating door‑to‑door solicitors from transient retail merchants; staff will redraft and consult the solicitor.
Supervisor Moriarty opened discussion on the township's solicitors and peddlers ordinance, saying the current draft contains inappropriate and potentially illegal requirements such as fingerprinting minors and collecting Social Security numbers.
Moriarty and other supervisors proposed separating solicitor/peddler (door‑to‑door) rules from transient retail merchant requirements (vendors at events) because the two pose different privacy, enforcement and liability considerations. Moriarty said the township needs the information necessary to protect residents, but cautioned that if the ordinance is framed as a protection measure it must be enforced consistently.
Business and community representatives said event organizers or nonprofit hosts often prefer to submit a vendor list rather than require each individual to obtain a license, and asked the township to consider liability implications of shifting enforcement responsibility. A local business representative said relying on event organizers to collect and submit vendor information (and a single event fee) could ease compliance while still giving the township the information it needs.
Concerns raised included the burden on small businesses and seasonal vendors, fingerprinting and child privacy implications, and how enforcement capacity (limited staff) affects any new rules. Board members generally agreed the ordinance should be simplified, remove unnecessary sensitive data collection, separate categories, and return with specific edits for staff consolidation and solicitor review.
No ordinance language was adopted at the meeting; staff and supervisors will prepare consolidated edits and get legal guidance before returning the item to the board.
