New peddlers restrictions approved in Norris
People selling products and services door to door in Norris would be strictly limited and regulated under a new ordinance approved by the City Council on first reading last week.
The measure, Ordinance 663, still must be given a public hearing, and then be approved on second and final reading before it can take effect.
Council members scheduled the hearing for 5:30 p.m. Jan. 8, just prior to the City Council meeting at 6 p.m., when the ordinance will be considered on second reading.
Under the ordinance, most commercial door-to-door solicitation without invitation by the property owner or occupant would not be allowed. Exceptions are made for nonprofit organizations, including religious activities, and political campaigns.
The ordinance, as passed 5-0 by the council on first reading, says:
“(Section 9-105) The practice of going in and upon private residences in the City of Norris by solicitors, peddlers, hawkers, itinerant merchants or transient vendors of merchandise not having been requested or invited so to do by the owner or owners, occupant or occupants of said private residences for the purpose of soliciting orders for the sale of goods, wares and merchandise and/or disposing of and/or peddling or hawking the same is declared to be a nuisance and punishable as such nuisance as a misdemeanor.”
The proposal was first brought up at the council’s November meeting, but was tabled until last week’s December council meeting. Originally, it was proposed that door-to-door sales would be allowed by permit only.
But some residents attending the Nov. 13 council meeting suggested that rather that giving solicitors permits to sell door-to-door, such sales should be prohibited outright in the city, with a few exceptions.
The ordinance the council approved Dec. 11 reflects that suggestion.
Here is the language of the ordinance as it now stands:
“(Section) 9-106. Restrictions on peddlers and solicitors. No peddler, solicitor, solicitor for charitable purposes, or solicitor for subscriptions shall:
“(1) Be permitted to set up and operate a booth or stand on any street or sidewalk, or in any other public area within the city.
“(2) Stand or sit in or near the entrance to any dwelling or place of business, or in any other place which may disrupt or impede pedestrian or vehicular traffic.
“(3) Offer to sell goods or services or solicit in vehicular traffic lanes, or operate a ‘roadblock’ of any kind.
“(4) Call attention to his business or merchandise or to his solicitation efforts by crying out, by blowing a horn, by ringing a bell, or creating other noise.
“(5) Enter in or upon any premises or attempt to enter in or upon any premises wherein a sign or placard bearing the notice ‘Peddlers or Solicitors Prohibited,’ or similar language carrying the same meaning, is located.
“(Section) 9-107. Restrictions on transient vendors. (1) A transient vendor shall not advertise, represent, or hold forth a sale of goods, wares or merchandise as an insurance, bankrupt, insolvent, assignee, trustee, estate, executor, administrator, receiver’s manufacturer’s wholesale, canceled order, or misfit sale, or closing-out sale, or a sale of any goods damaged by smoke, fire, water or otherwise, unless such advertisement, representation or holding forth is actually of the character it is advertised, represented or held forth.
“(2) Transient vendors shall not be permitted to set up and operate a booth or stand on any street or sidewalk, or in any other public area within the city without written permission from the City Manager.”
Mayor Chris Mitchell noted that the restrictions would not affect the solicitation activities outside the Norris post office that are commonly held by local civic groups.
Also, nonprofit or religious organizations or political campaigns will not have to apply for permits to solicit within the city.
The new ordinance was patterned after similar measures already in effect in Gatlinburg and Alcoa, city officials said.