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Council approves changes to solicitors, canvassers and peddlers rules to ease permitting requirements
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Summary
Council amended local Chapter 735 to remove impractical 2015 requirements (fingerprints, physician certificate and passport‑style photo) and require feasible documentation such as tax ID, valid photo ID, proof of business and a local background check; the mayor retains revocation authority for harassment.
The Bryan City Council on April 6 adopted an amendment to the codified solicitors, canvassers and peddlers rules (Ordinance 17‑20‑26) intended to make the permit process more practical for temporary contractors while preserving resident protections.
Staff counsel (S4, identified in the record as Staff member) said the prior 2015 permit contained requirements that were hard to meet in practice after a recent hailstorm prompted outreach. "We took out the fingerprinting, the physicians' need, the 2 by 2 picture," the Staff member said, and instead described a streamlined application requiring the applicant's name and permanent home address, a brief business description, an IRS tax ID number, a 30‑day permit duration, valid driver's license or photo ID, proof of business and workers' compensation insurance, a statement about prior convictions, and a local background check.
Staff noted the change aims to balance resident safety with the ability of legitimate contractors to obtain permits quickly; the staff also said the mayor may revoke permits if a solicitor harasses residents. Councilors questioned whether repeat visitors who ignored denials could be handled under the revised rules; staff said permits are supposed to be carried by solicitors and the police can be called to verify compliance.
The council moved to suspend the rules and approved the ordinance by voice vote. The amendments remove requirements that staff said local providers could not practically meet and add documentation intended to verify business legitimacy and protect residents.
Next steps: the revised ordinance takes effect per standard municipal procedures; staff indicated follow‑up enforcement would be handled by the mayor's office and the police department when complaints arise.
