SHAFTER, Calif. (KERO) — According to Shafter city codes, it is illegal to solicit business as a door-to-door salesperson without proper permits from the city.
- Late last week, the City of Shafter put a post on Facebook making a note that it is illegal to solicit business inside city limits without proper permitting from the City.
- Acting Chief for the Shafter Police Department Randy Milligan said anyone who is doing so violates municipal codes relating to 5.36 and 9.20. In the past, Milligan said the department has had little issue with solicitors going door-to-door, and said in most cases they offer warnings as it's not a commonly known law.
- Shafter Building Official Dennis Fidler said if you decide to do construction with a company that goes door to door, to reach out to the building department to ensure that any projects are done in accordance with city codes.
- To learn more about the Shafter Police Department, the City's Building Department, or the City's municipal code, please click the associated links.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Can I interest you in a lifetime subscription to Sam's Spectacular Sunglasses? It's just 19.99 a month. I'm Sam Hoyle, your Shafter Neighborhood Reporter, and what I did was technically illegal in the City of Shafter.
On social media late last week, the City of Shafter made a post regarding laws relating to soliciting and canvassing in neighborhoods across the city, think door-to-door salespeople, and how doing so without a permit is illegal, and it got me wondering: how big of a problem is it?
"Putting it out through social media is community awareness. Most people didn't know it was a Shafter Municipal Code to do this type of canvassing or soliciting; or that there were any regulations at all. So, we discover through our recent investigations that the community didn't know that it was illegal and it is deemed as a nuisance in the City of Shafter and that's why it's regulated with a municipal code," said Shafter's Acting Police Chief Randy Milligan
The codes Milligan is referencing are 5.36 and 9.20, which if you'd like to read, will be linked in this story on our website, but the general gist of the two codes outlines regulations that solicitors and canvassers need to abide by to go door to door.
If they're found violating them, they could be charged with a misdemeanor and receive a ticket.
Once salespeople get the go-ahead from the city to go door-to-door, they'll receive a permit from the city that they'll need to show if asked or unprompted, and they can't knock on doors if there's a no soliciting sign, even then for things like construction work, Dennis Fidler, Building Official for the city says if you plan on getting any work done to your house to reach out to the city to ensure that the work is done to code.
"I think the first and foremost thing is to contact the building department if someone comes to your door to find out if you need a building permit, and the second thing is even if a building permit isn't required, what are the codes behind it? Because the code is very, very specific where even if a building permit isn't required, you're still required to follow the standards of the code," said Fidler
So what should you do if a solicitor comes to your door and they're not permitted? Well, that's entirely up to you, however according to Milligan, you can reach out to the Shafter Police Department to make a report if you find it to be a nuisance.
In Shafter, I'm Sam Hoyle, your neighborhood reporter.
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