[HISTORY: Adopted by the Common Council of the City of Manawa as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Special event vending permits — See Ch. 273, § 273-11.
[Adopted 10-18-1993 as Title 7, Ch. 4 of the 1989 Code of Ordinances]
[1]
Note: This article is based on a model ordinance prepared by the Office of Consumer Protection of the Department of Justice. This article conforms to the repeal of W.S.A. s. 440.85 and the uniform state plan recommended by the Department of Justice. Religious, patriotic, philanthropic or other organizations currently exempted from registration as charitable organizations under W.S.A. s. 440.41 are no longer exempt from registration under this article.
It shall be unlawful for any direct seller to engage in direct sales within the City of Manawa without being registered for that purpose as provided herein.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION
Any benevolent, philanthropic, patriotic or eleemosynary person, partnership, association or corporation or one purporting to be such, but shall not include religious organizations.
CLERK
The City of Manawa Clerk-Treasurer.
DIRECT SELLER
Any individual who, for him/herself or for a partnership, association or corporation, sells goods, or takes sales orders for the later delivery of goods, at any location other than the permanent business place or residence of said individual, partnership, association or corporation, and shall include but not be limited to peddlers, solicitors and transient merchants. The sale of goods includes donations required by the direct seller for the retention of goods by a donor or prospective customer.
GOODS
Personal property of any kind, and shall include goods provided incidental to services offered or sold.
PERMANENT MERCHANT
A direct seller who, for at least one year prior to the consideration of the application of this article to said merchant:
A. 
Has continuously operated an established place of business in this city; or
B. 
Has continuously resided in this city and now does business from his/her residence.
PERSON
All humans of any age or sex, partnerships, corporations, associations, groups, organizations and any other description of a collection of human beings working in concert or for the same purpose or objective.
The following shall be exempt from all provisions of this article:
A. 
Any person delivering newspapers, fuel, dairy products or bakery goods to regular customers on established routes.
B. 
Any person selling goods at wholesale to dealers in such goods.
C. 
Any person selling agricultural products which such person has grown.
D. 
Any permanent merchant or employee thereof who takes orders away from the established place of business for goods regularly offered for sale by such merchant within this county and who delivers such goods in his or her regular course of business.
E. 
Any person who has an established place of business where the goods being sold are offered for sale on a regular basis and in which the buyer has initiated contact with, and specifically requested a home visit by, said person.
F. 
Any person who has had, or one who represents a company which has had, a prior business transaction, such as a prior sale or credit arrangement, with the prospective customer.
G. 
Any person selling or offering for sale a service unconnected with the sale or offering for sale of goods.
H. 
Any person holding a sale required by statute or by order of any court and any person conducting a bona fide auction sale pursuant to law.
I. 
Any employee, officer or agent of a charitable organization who engages in direct sales for or on behalf of said organization, provided that there is submitted to the City Clerk-Treasurer proof that such charitable organization is registered under W.S.A. s. 440.41. If the charitable organization is exempt from that statute's registration requirements, it shall be required to register under this article. It is intended to include any employee, officer, agent or member of any local charitable organization having a local group or association.
[Amended 1-3-2000]
J. 
Any person who claims to be a permanent merchant but against whom complaint has been made to the City Clerk-Treasurer that such person is a transient merchant, provided that there is submitted to the City Clerk-Treasurer proof that such person has leased for at least one year, or purchased, the premises from which he/she is conducting business or proof that such person has conducted such business in this city for at least one year prior to the date complaint was made.
A. 
Registration information. Applicants for registration must complete and return to the City Clerk-Treasurer a registration form furnished by the Clerk-Treasurer which shall require the following information:
(1) 
Name, permanent address and telephone number and temporary address, if any.
(2) 
Height, weight, color of hair and eyes and date of birth.
(3) 
Name, address and telephone number of the person, firm, association or corporation that the direct seller represents or is employed by or whose merchandise is being sold.
(4) 
Temporary address and telephone number from which business will be conducted, if any.
(5) 
Nature of business to be conducted and a brief description of the goods offered and any services offered.
(6) 
Proposed method of delivery of goods, if applicable.
(7) 
Make, model and license number of any vehicle to be used by the applicant in the conduct of his or her business.
(8) 
Last cities, villages or towns, not to exceed three, where the applicant conducted similar business just prior to making this registration.
(9) 
Place where the applicant can be contacted for at least seven days after leaving this city.
(10) 
Statement as to whether the applicant has been convicted of any crime or ordinance violation related to the applicant's transient merchant business within the last five years, the nature of the offense and the place of conviction.
B. 
Identification and certification. Applicants shall present to the City Clerk-Treasurer for examination:
(1) 
A driver's license or some other proof of identity as may be reasonably required.
(2) 
A state certificate of examination and approval from the Sealer of Weights and Measures where the applicant's business requires use of weighing and measuring devices approved by state authorities.
(3) 
A state health officer's certificate where the applicant's business involves the handling of food or clothing and is required to be certified under state law. Such certificate shall state that the applicant is apparently free from any contagious or infectious disease and shall be dated not more than 90 days prior to the date the application for license is made.
C. 
Registration fee.
(1) 
At the time the registration is returned, a fee of $20 shall be paid to the City Clerk-Treasurer to cover the cost of processing said registration. Each and every member of a group must file a separate registration form.
[Amended 1-3-2000; 5-15-2006]
(2) 
The City of Manawa shall charge and the City Clerk-Treasurer and/or Police Chief shall collect a fee of $20 for each applicant applying for license for a direct seller permit. The permit shall be issued for a period of 1 to 7 days. Each additional 7 days shall be an additional fee of $10. This fee shall apply to each seller for each organization.
[Added 9-16-1996; amended 5-15-2006]
(3) 
The applicant shall sign a statement appointing the City Clerk-Treasurer his/her agent to accept service of process in any civil action brought against the applicant arising out of any sale or service performed by the applicant in connection with the direct sales activities of the applicant, in the event that the applicant cannot, after reasonable effort, be served personally.
(4) 
Upon payment of said fee and the signing of said statement, the City Clerk-Treasurer shall register the applicant as a direct seller and date the entry. Said registration shall be valid for a period of one year from the date of entry, subject to subsequent refusal as provided in § 245-5B below.
A. 
Upon receipt of each application, the City Clerk-Treasurer may refer it immediately to the Chief of Police, who may make and complete an investigation of the statements made in such registration.
B. 
The City Clerk-Treasurer shall refuse to register the applicant if it is determined, pursuant to the investigation above, that the application contains any material omission or materially inaccurate statement; complaints of a material nature have been received against the applicant by authorities in the last cities, villages and towns, not exceeding three, in which the applicant conducted similar business; the applicant was convicted of a crime, statutory violation or ordinance violation within the last five years, the nature of which is directly related to the applicant's fitness to engage in direct selling; or the applicant failed to comply with any applicable provision of § 254-4B above.
Any person denied registration may appeal the denial through the appeal procedure provided by ordinance or resolution of the Common Council or, if none has been adopted, under the provisions of W.S.A. ss. 68.07 through 68.16.
A. 
A direct seller shall be prohibited from calling at any dwelling or other place between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. in the winter and after daylight hours in the summer except by appointment; calling at any dwelling or other place where a sign is displayed bearing the words "No Peddlers," "No Solicitors" or words of similar meaning; calling at the rear door of any dwelling place; or remaining on any premises after being asked to leave by the owner, occupant or other person having authority over such premises.
[Amended 5-15-2006]
B. 
A direct seller shall not misrepresent or make false, deceptive or misleading statements concerning the quality, quantity or character of any goods offered for sale, the purpose of his or her visit, his or her identity or the identify of the organization he or she represents. A charitable organization direct seller shall specifically disclose what portion of the sale price of goods being offered will actually be used for the charitable purpose for which the organization is soliciting. Said portion shall be expressed as a percentage of the sale price of the goods.
C. 
No direct seller shall impede the free use of sidewalks and streets by pedestrians and vehicles. Where sales are made from vehicles, all traffic and parking regulations shall be observed.
D. 
No direct seller shall make any loud noises or use any sound-amplifying device to attract customers if the noise produced is capable of being plainly heard outside a one-hundred-foot radius of the source.
E. 
No direct seller shall allow rubbish or litter to accumulate in or around the area in which he or she is conducting business.
A. 
After the initial greeting and before any other statement is made to a prospective customer, a direct seller shall expressly disclose his or her name, the name of the company or organization he or she is affiliated with, if any, and the identity of goods or services he or she offers to sell.
B. 
If any sale of goods is made by a direct seller or any sales order for the later delivery of goods is taken by the seller, the buyer shall have the right to cancel said transaction if it involves the extension of credit or is a cash transaction of more than $25, in accordance with the procedure as set forth in W.S.A. s. 423.203. The seller shall give the buyer two copies of a typed or printed notice of that fact. Such notice shall conform to the requirements of W.S.A. s. 423.203(1)(a), (b) and (c), (2) and (3).
C. 
If the direct seller takes a sales order for the later delivery of goods, he or she shall, at the time the order is taken, provide the buyer with a written statement containing the terms of the agreement, the amount paid in advance, whether full, partial or no advance payment is made, the name, address and telephone number of the seller, the delivery or performance date and whether a guaranty or warranty is provided and, if so, the terms thereof.
The Chief of Police shall report to the City Clerk-Treasurer all convictions for violation of this article, and the City Clerk-Treasurer shall note any such violation on the record of the registrant convicted.
A. 
Registration may be revoked by the Common Council after notice and hearing if the registrant made any material omission or materially inaccurate statement in the application for registration, made any fraudulent, false, deceptive or misleading statement or representation in the course of engaging in direct sales, violated any provision of this article or was convicted of any crime or ordinance or statutory violation which is directly related to the registrant's fitness to engage in direct selling.
B. 
Written notice of the hearing shall be served personally on the registrant at least 72 hours prior to the time set for the hearing. Such notice shall contain the time and place of hearing and a statement of the acts upon which the hearing will be based.
[Adopted 10-18-1993 as Title 7, Ch. 9 of the 1989 Code of Ordinances]
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
GARAGE SALE
All general sales open to the public, conducted from or on a residential premises, for the purpose of disposing of personal property, including but not limited to all sales titled "rummage, lawn, yard, porch, room, backyard, patio or garage sale."
PERSONAL PROPERTY
Property which is owned, utilized and maintained and acquired in the normal course of living in or maintaining a residence. It does not include merchandise which was purchased for resale or obtained on consignment.
Garage sales shall be conducted between 7:30 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Each sale shall last no longer than four consecutive days.
A. 
Garage sale signs may not have an area more than six square feet with a maximum of two faces. Garage sale signs shall identify the location of the sale and must be located off of the city right-of-way.
B. 
No garage sale sign may be located on utility poles, traffic control devices or on property or the adjoining right-of-way of property the owner of which has not given explicit permission for its location.
C. 
No garage sale sign shall be displayed more than one day before the sale or one day following the sale.
D. 
No more than one garage sale sign may be located at the sale site, and no more than four garage sale signs may be located off the site, except that two signs are permitted on corner lots, one facing each street.