No person shall engage in and carry on the business of billposting
or bill distributing or sign advertising in the City of Buffalo without
previously having obtained a license so to do.
[Amended 12-9-2003, effective 12-19-2003]
The Commissioner of Permit and Inspection Services
of the City of Buffalo may grant to any person or persons who shall
apply to him therefor, in writing, a license to engage in and carry
on in the City of Buffalo the business of billposting and bill distributing
and sign advertising, which license shall expire at the end of one
year from the date of its issue. Such license shall not be transferable.
Every person or firm to whom a license may be granted under the provisions of this article shall, upon delivery thereof, pay to the City the sum as provided in Chapter
175, Fees.
[Amended 12-9-2003, effective 12-19-2003]
Every applicant for a license under the provisions of this article
shall present to the Commissioner of Permit and Inspection Services,
at the time of making the application for such license, a surety company
bond in the penal sum of $2,000, approved by the Corporation Counsel
as to form and by the Comptroller as to sufficiency, conditioned for
the faithful observance of the provisions of the Charter and Code
of the City.
None other than a resident of the City of Buffalo, who shall
have been such for 30 days, shall be granted a license under the provisions
of this article.
This article shall not apply to the distribution of printed publications if devoted primarily and essentially to the dissemination of news of local and general public interest or religious material or other information of real and general public import and interest or a newspaper or periodical with a bona fide paid circulation published at regular intervals and sold to the public; nor shall this article apply to a publisher distributing his own printed material and not engaged in the business for hire or gain of distributing commercial advertising printed material published by others, subject to the conditions of Article
III of this chapter relating to the littering of public streets and places, the purpose and intent of this article being to license and regulate persons engaged in the business of distributing commercial advertising material not requested by the recipient and to protect such recipient and the general public from annoyance and to control the littering of private and public premises.