Have you been visited by a door-to-door salesperson and wondered if they are conducting business in accordance with the law?
In the City of Farmington, a solicitor must obtain a solicitor’s license from the City of Farmington and carry the license on their person while engaging in business for which such license is issued. (Farmington Municipal Code 8-2-10 Display). The license should be signed by the city clerk and include the business’ name, individual’s name, the City of Farmington’s seal and dates showing term of the license.
In addition, a solicitor must abide by the following rules:
Farmington Municipal Code 8-8-4 Posted premises; requests to leave, permitted hours
(a) No peddler or solicitor shall enter any premises or attempt to peddle or solicit where the owner or occupant of such premises has indicated his desire not to be contacted for sales or solicitations by the placing of a “no solicitors” or “no peddlers” sign on those premises, visible to persons approaching or entering onto the premises. Any such entrance or attempt to peddle shall constitute a violation of this section.
(b) A peddler or solicitor that has entered onto any premises to attempt to peddle or solicit shall leave the premises immediately when asked to do so or when the owner or occupant has declined to purchase the goods or services being solicited. A failure to leave immediately shall constitute a violation of this section.
(c) Door to door residential solicitation shall be permitted from 10:00 a.m to 7:00 p.m. Any attempt to solicit at a residence outside of these hours is prohibited and constitutes a violation of this section.
The public’s safety is of the utmost importance to us. We’d like to remind citizens that it’s often difficult to determine if someone is legitimately representing a real business or charity, even if he/she provides documentation. We urge our community members to exercise caution, and follow these safety tips when encountering solicitors:
- Always look through the peephole, window or home security camera to see who is at your door.
- If you don’t feel comfortable answering the door, then don’t. Inform the individual you are not interested through your door.
- Always ask for documentation and identification.
- NEVER allow a solicitor to enter your home.
- NEVER give money, credit/debit card numbers or a check to solicitors.
- Report aggressive or suspicious solicitors to law enforcement immediately: 911 for emergency situations such as an aggressive or threatening solicitor and 334-6622 (non-emergency dispatch) for suspicious solicitors.
- Provide the dispatcher with a good description of the individual and vehicle, if available, and direction of travel after leaving your residence.
- Please DO NOT private message us on social media for these types of situations in which an officer needs to be dispatched to make contact with the individual in question.