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NORTH RICHLAND HILLS — The City Council has toughened restrictions on door-to-door solicitors and handbill distributors after a wave of recent homeowner complaints about aggressive salesmen.
The revised ordinance, adopted unanimously last week, is virtually a complete rewrite of the 1980s-era ordinance and governs solicitors’ registration with the city, days and hours they can be in neighborhoods, and how far they can be from a front door.City officials said they strengthened the ordinance because they want to know who is in neighborhoods and to protect the safety and privacy of homeowners."Even if it doesn’t make [neighborhoods] safer, if it gives the impression that it is safer, and we have somebody to follow up on, it’s an effort well-made," Mayor Oscar Trevino said.The ordinance does not pertain to religious or charitable groups.Under the new ordinance, solicitors must register with the city secretary and pay $100 per person for a six-month permit. They must wear identification badges on lanyards and can sell door to door only after 9 a.m. and before sunset. Holidays and Sundays are off-limits.Businesses also have to post a bond of $10,000 to $30,000, depending on the number of salespeople. Solicitors must stand at least three feet from the front door and drive a vehicle that identifies whom they are representing.The ordinance also adds several provisions regarding the distribution of handbills, including a prohibition on placing them on cars and a rule that they must be attached to a doorknob, for example.Businesses that distribute handbills must register with the city secretary and pay a $10 fee for a 30-day permit.CHRIS VAUGHN, 817-390-7547
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