[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors of the Township of Independence as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 1-3-2006 by Ord. No. 1-2006[1]]
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance superseded former Ch. 146, Peddling and Soliciting, adopted 3-8-1989 by Ord. No. 1-89, as amended.
A. 
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated, unless a different meaning clearly appears from the context:
LEGAL HOLIDAY
New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas.
PERSON
Any natural person, partnership, association, corporation or other legal entity.
TRANSIENT RETAIL BUSINESS
(1) 
Engaging in peddling, soliciting or taking orders, either by sample or otherwise, for any goods, wares or merchandise upon any street, alley, sidewalk or public ground, or from house to house, within the Township of Independence.
(2) 
Selling, soliciting or taking orders for any goods, wares or merchandise, from a fixed location within the Township of Independence, on a temporary basis, which shall include, but not be limited to, such activities conducted at the time of special occasions or celebrations, for seasonal purposes or for yearly holidays.
B. 
The singular shall include the plural; the plural shall include the singular; and the masculine shall include the feminine and the neuter.
No person shall engage in any transient retail business within the Township of Independence without first having obtained from the Township Secretary a license, for which a fee, which shall be for the use of the Township of Independence, shall be charged, said fee to be in such amount established from time to time by resolution of the Township of Independence.
A. 
No license fee shall be charged:
(1) 
To farmers selling their own produce.
(2) 
For the sale of goods, wares and merchandise, donated by the owners thereof, the proceeds whereof are to be applied to any charitable or philanthropic purpose.
(3) 
To any manufacturer or producer in the sale of bread and bakery products, meat and meat products or milk and milk products.
(4) 
To children under the age of 18 years who take orders for and deliver newspapers, greeting cards, candy, bakery products and the like, or who represent the Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts or similar organizations.
(5) 
For the seeking or taking of orders by insurance agents or brokers licensed under the insurance laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
(6) 
To a person who has complied with the provisions of the Solicitation of Funds for Charitable Purposes Act, 10 P.S. § 162.1 et seq., as hereafter amended, supplemented, modified or reenacted by the General Assembly of Pennsylvania.
(7) 
For taking orders for merchandise, by sample, from dealers or merchants for individuals or companies who pay a license or business privilege tax at their chief place of business.
B. 
All persons exempted hereby from the payment of the license fee shall be required to register with the Township of Independence and obtain a license without fee, provided that any person dealing in one or more of the above-mentioned exempted categories and dealing with other goods, wares or merchandise not so exempted shall be subject to the payment of the license fee fixed by this section for his activities in connection with the sale of goods, wares and merchandise not in such exempted categories; and provided, further, that the Township Secretary may similarly exempt from payment of the license fee, but not from registering with him, persons working without compensation and selling goods, wares or merchandise for the sole benefit of a nonprofit corporation; and provided, further, that every license issued under the provisions of this article shall be issued on an individual basis to any person or persons engaging in such business. Every individual shall obtain a separate license, issued to him in his name, and the license fee hereby imposed shall be applicable to every such individual license, except that a representative of a charitable organization may obtain licenses for the applicants.
Every person desiring a license under this article shall first make application to the Township Secretary for such license. He shall, when making such application, exhibit a valid license from any state or county officer, if such license is also required. The applicant shall state:
A. 
His criminal record, if any.
B. 
The name and address of the person by whom he is employed.
C. 
The type of goods, wares and merchandise he wishes to deal with in such transient retail business.
D. 
The length of time for which the license is to be issued.
Upon receipt of such application and the prescribed fee, the Township Secretary, if she shall find such application in order, shall issue the license required under this article. Such license shall contain the information required to be given on the application therefor. Every license holder shall carry such license upon his person, if engaged in transient retail business from house to house or upon any of the streets, alleys, sidewalks or public grounds, or shall display such license at the location where he shall engage in such business if doing so at a fixed location. He shall exhibit such license, upon request, to all police officers, municipal officials and citizens or residents of the Township of Independence.
No person in any transient retail business shall:
A. 
Sell any product or type of produce not mentioned in his license.
B. 
Hawk or cry his wares upon any of the streets, alleys, sidewalks or public grounds in the Township of Independence.
C. 
When operating from a vehicle, stop or park such vehicle upon any of the streets or alleys in the Township of Independence for longer than necessary in order to sell therefrom to persons residing or working in the immediate vicinity.
D. 
Park a vehicle upon any of the streets or alleys in the Township of Independence for the purpose of sorting, rearranging or cleaning any of his goods, wares or merchandise or of disposing of any carton, wrapping material, or stock, wares or foodstuffs which have become unsalable through handling, age or otherwise.
E. 
Engage in any business activity, except by prior appointment, at any time on a Sunday or legal holiday or at any time before 8:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m. on any day of the week other than a Sunday or legal holiday.
The Township Secretary shall supervise the activities of all persons holding licenses under this article. She shall keep a record of all licenses issued hereunder and shall make a report thereof each month to the Township of Independence.
The Township Secretary is hereby authorized to deny, suspend or revoke any license issued under this article when she deems such denial, suspension or revocation to be beneficial to the public health, safety, or morals, or for violation of any provision of this article, or for giving false information upon any application for a license hereunder. Appeals from any suspension, revocation or denial of a license may be made to the Township of Independence at any time within 10 days after such suspension, revocation or denial, and a hearing shall be held within 30 days of the petition for appeal. No part of a license fee shall be refunded to any person whose license shall have been suspended or revoked.
Any person, firm or corporation who shall violate any provision of this article, upon conviction thereof in an action brought before a District Justice in the manner provided for the enforcement of summary offenses under the Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure, shall be sentenced to pay a fine of not more than $1,000 plus costs and, in default of payment of said fine and costs, to a term of imprisonment not to exceed 90 days. Each day that a violation of this article continues or each section of this article which shall be found to have been violated shall constitute a separate offense.
[Adopted 1-3-2006 by Ord. No. 2-2006]
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated, unless a different meaning clearly appears from the context:
CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION
Any person, firm, group, partnership, corporation or association whose avowed purpose and object is to benefit, assist, aid and further the following causes:
A. 
Philanthropy;
B. 
Assistance to persons who are poor, impoverished, destitute, underprivileged, needy, diseased, injured, crippled, disabled, handicapped or in need of physical or mental rehabilitation;
C. 
Churches, religious societies or other religious sects, groups or orders espousing spiritual and altruistic motives or conduct;
D. 
The teaching of patriotism, or promoting relief and assistance to this nation's war veterans;
E. 
Beneficial education of the mind or assistance to educational institutions; or
F. 
The protection, shelter and sustenance of animals.
CHARITABLE SOLICITATION
Seeking money donations, pledges thereof, or anything of value to benefit, assist, aid and further the cause of a charitable organization, either orally or by literature distribution.
LITERATURE
Books, pamphlets, handbills, tracts, cards, circulars, pictures, films, magazines, or any other written or printed material.
It shall be unlawful for any charitable organization to solicit funds, as defined in § 146-10 above, within the limits of the Township of Independence, without first applying for and obtaining a permit therefor and wearing at all times an identification card as provided herein.
A. 
A sworn application, in writing, for a permit under this article must be filed in duplicate with the Township Secretary, at least three days in advance of the first day sought for solicitation, on a form to be furnished by the Township, and shall state:
(1) 
The full name and address (legal and local) of the person or organization sponsoring, conducting or promoting the fund drive;
(2) 
Whether or not the applicant is a branch or division of a national organization and, if so, the name thereof and the mailing and street address of same;
(3) 
The purpose or object of the charitable solicitation;
(4) 
The dates of the solicitation;
(5) 
The number of persons to participate in the solicitation and the true legal name and address of each, and the sex, height, and the color of hair and eyes of each;
(6) 
A statement as to whether any person who will participate in the solicitation has ever been convicted of engaging in a fraudulent transaction or enterprise, a felony or other criminal offense involving moral turpitude.
B. 
No fee shall be required for the filing of the application.
The application shall be registered in a book called the "Registry Book." The application shall be granted and the permit issued within 48 hours after the application has been filed unless, upon investigation by the Township Secretary, one or more of the following facts are found to exist:
A. 
That one or more of the statements in the application are not true;
B. 
That the applicant or any agent or representative of the applicant who will participate under the permit has been convicted of engaging in a fraudulent transaction or enterprise, a felony or other criminal offense involving moral turpitude, in which cases the permit shall be denied to the applicant or to the agent or representative so convicted;
C. 
That the applicant or any agent or representative of the applicant who will participate under the permit has previously violated any of the terms and provisions of this article or any prior permit issued thereunder.
Any permit granted hereunder may be canceled after issuance if any of the reasons for prior refusal should be discovered or become apparent during the solicitation period.
It shall be unlawful for a charitable organization to distribute literature or any other article within the limits of the Township of Independence, whether or not solicitation for money or anything of monetary value is involved, without first applying for and obtaining a permit in accordance with §§ 146-12 through 146-14 set forth above for charitable solicitation.
Within 10 days after notice of the action has been mailed and hand delivered, the applicant shall notify the Township Secretary, in writing, of his intent to contest said action. Within 30 days after receipt of said notice to contest, the Board of Supervisors shall hold a hearing on the appeal petition and render a decision or may institute a proceeding for temporary, preliminary and permanent injunction to restrain the denied solicitation or distribution in a court of competent jurisdiction, which action shall be governed by the applicable rules of procedure and the time limits thereunder.
Upon issuance of a permit, the Township Secretary shall note her approval in the Registry Book and shall, at that point, issue, to the applicant or any agent or representative of the applicant who will participate under the permit, an identification card, which card shall state the applicant's name, address, sex, height, color of hair and eyes and full name of the charitable organization which he or she represents.
When permits for charitable solicitation or charitable literature distribution or a combination of the two are granted, the following rules and standards shall apply:
A. 
Location. Such permits shall be restricted to public areas of the Township and shall not be construed as permission by any private property owner to conduct said activity on private premises.
B. 
Time. Permit holders shall be restricted to the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
C. 
Manner of operation.
(1) 
Each person included in a permit shall wear the identification card issued by the Township of Independence on the upper clothing and in a manner clearly visible to the public. It shall not be transferred to another person and must be returned to the Township Secretary at the expiration of the permit.
(2) 
No person included in a permit shall initiate any physical contact with prospective donors unless said donor has either consented to such contact or agreed to make a contribution.
(3) 
Permittees are at all times subject to all laws, statutes, and ordinances, federal, state or local, regarding fraud, assault, battery, theft, littering and any other law relating to the conduct of persons in public places.
A permit shall expire after 30 days from the date of issuance. A permit may be renewed for successive thirty-day intervals if written request for the same is received by the Township Secretary within the period of 10 days prior to the expiration date and the request for renewal contains a statement that the request is predicated on the same information as contained in the original application.
Any person, firm or corporation who shall violate any provision of this article shall, upon conviction thereof, be sentenced to pay a fine of not more than $600 and, in default of payment, to imprisonment for a term not to exceed 30 days.