Township of Marple, PA
Delaware County
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Chapter 200 Peddlers and Solicitors
[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Commissioners of the Township of Marple 12-13-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-5.[1] Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Food handlers — See Ch. 150.
Food-vending machines and vehicles — See Ch. 153.
Noise — See Ch. 185.
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance also repealed former Ch. 200, Peddlers and Solicitors, adopted 7-12-1971 as Ch. 61 of the 1971 Code, as amended.
A. 
Words and terms defined. As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
PEDDLER
Any person who shall engage in peddling, as herein defined.
PEDDLING
The selling or offering for sale of any goods, wares, merchandise or services for immediate delivery, which the person selling or offering for sale carries with him in traveling or has in his or her possession or control or offers to immediately provide to any person, homeowner or business in the Township.
PERSON
Any natural person, association, partnership, firm or corporation.
SOLICITOR
Any person who shall engage in soliciting, as herein defined.
SOLICITING
(1) 
COMMERCIAL
The seeking or taking of contracts or orders for any goods, wares or merchandise for future delivery, or for services to be performed for any person, homeowner, or business in the Township on a temporary basis.
(2) 
CHARITABLE
The soliciting of membership, money and/or property by or on behalf of charitable organizations from any person, homeowner, or business in the Township, either from house to house or from a fixed location.
TOWNSHIP
The Township of Marple, Delaware County, Pennsylvania.
B. 
In this chapter, the singular shall include the plural, and the masculine shall include the feminine and the neuter.
No person shall engage in soliciting or peddling in the Township without first having obtained without having registered and obtained a license from the Township Police Department.
A. 
Any person desiring to engage in soliciting or peddling in the Township shall submit in person a written application to the Marple Township Police Department on a form furnished by the Marple Township Police Department, together with a copy of the applicant's criminal history and any other report or information required by the Marple Township Police Department.
B. 
If any additional license or permit is also required from any state or county officer, including a license from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for the collection and distribution of sales tax on all taxable items, the applicant shall, when making such application, provide the Township with proof of the current and valid issuance of each such license and/or permit.
C. 
The application shall include the following information:
(1) 
The applicant's name, address and phone number;
(2) 
The name, address and phone number of the person, corporation or other entity by whom or by which he is employed or represents;
(3) 
The applicant's criminal history report, obtained from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and dated no more than 90 days before the date of the application;
(4) 
The type of goods, wares and/or merchandise services he wishes to peddle, solicit and/or deal with or the subscription, article, device, contribution, service or contract for which he desires to sell or for which he wishes to peddle or solicit within the Township;
(5) 
The length of time and dates of the peddling or solicitation for which the license is to be issued; and
(6) 
The make, model, and license plate of each vehicle to be used by the applicant, if any.
D. 
Whenever a group or organization desires to utilize more than one person for peddling or soliciting purposes in the Township, each such person shall make separate application under this chapter and shall do so in person. Each person to be engaged in peddling or soliciting shall make separate application under this chapter and shall do so in person. All applicable personal information specified above shall be given for each such person, including required proof of identity, and an individual license shall be required for each such person to be engaged in peddling or soliciting.
E. 
Licenses issued under this chapter are not transferable from one person to another.
F. 
Applications for charitable solicitation shall include a copy of the charitable organization's current certification or other proof of current registration with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of State, Bureau of Charitable Organizations.
No permit or license shall be issued under this chapter until the proper fees are paid to the Township Treasurer, receipt for which may be given by the Township Treasurer, Township Manager or any authorized member of the Marple Township Police Department. Such fee shall be as set from time to time by resolution of the Board of Commissioners per year per person if the person is walking from door to door, and as set from time to time by resolution of the Board of Commissioners per year per person if the person is operating from a vehicle.
A. 
Upon receipt of such application and the prescribed fee, the Marple Township Police Department, or such other official as may be designated by the Board of Commissioners, shall review the application. If such application is found by the applicable Township official to be complete and in proper order, said Township official shall issue the license required by this chapter within 10 days from the completed filing of said application. The license shall contain the information required to be provided on the application. Such license shall include a picture of the applicant to whom the license is issued, if the Township elects to so require.
B. 
Every such license holder shall display openly the license upon his person if engaged in peddling or solicitation from house to house or business to business and also shall display the license at every location where he shall engage in business if doing so from a fixed location.
C. 
The Marple Township Police Department shall not issue a peddling or soliciting license to any applicant who, within 10 years prior to the date of the application, has either been convicted of any felony, been convicted of any misdemeanor involving moral turpitude or served a sentence or period of probation for any felony or for any misdemeanor involving moral turpitude within 10 years prior to the date of the application.
Every person licensed to solicit or peddle in the Township shall report in person on those days on which he intends to solicit or peddle and register with the Marple Township Police Department by signing a registration book, indicating his name and license number.
Every person to whom a license has been issued under this chapter shall, in the conduct of his activities, comply with the following rules of conduct:
A. 
He shall display openly his license at all times and exhibit it, upon request, to any police officer or Township official or to any person on whom he shall call or with whom he shall talk.
B. 
He shall not permit any person to have possession of his license and shall immediately report its loss to the Marple Township Police Department.
C. 
He shall not cause or permit his license to be defaced or altered in any way.
D. 
He shall not enter or attempt to enter any dwelling without the invitation or permission of the occupants and shall immediately leave any premises upon request of the occupant.
E. 
He shall not be guilty of any false pretense or misrepresentation, and, particularly, he shall not represent his license to be an endorsement by the Township (or its agents, servants, workmen or employees) of such peddler or solicitor, his goods, the services of him or his employer nor the organization he may represent.
F. 
He shall immediately surrender his license to the Superintendent of the Marple Township Police Department, or their designee, upon expiration or revocation thereof.
G. 
He shall not engage in selling or offering for sale, or in seeking or taking of orders or contracts for, any goods, wares, merchandise, article, device, subscription, contribution, service or contract not stated in the application for which a license has been issued, nor shall any person use any vehicle for soliciting or peddling other than the vehicle registered upon his license.
H. 
No person engaged in soliciting or peddling shall hawk or cry his goods, wares, merchandise, offers, contracts or services upon any of the streets or sidewalks of the Township, nor shall be use any loudspeaker, except when the street is closed for a special event and a license for the said soliciting or peddling has been duly issued by the Township.
I. 
No person engaged in soliciting or peddling shall hawk or cry his goods, wares, merchandise, offers, contracts or services upon any of the streets or sidewalks of the township, nor shall be use any loudspeaker or horn or any other device for announcing his presence by which members of the public are annoyed.
J. 
No person engaged in soliciting or peddling shall park any vehicle upon any of the streets or alleys of the Township in order to sort, rearrange or clean any of his goods, wares or merchandise or samples, order books, contracts, circulars, literature or advertising matter pertaining thereto; nor shall any such person place or deposit any refuse upon any such streets or alleys or sanitary or storm sewers; nor shall any such person maintain or keep a street or curbstone market by parking any vehicle upon any street or alley in the Township for longer than necessary in order to solicit from or peddle to persons residing or businesses located in the immediate vicinity.
K. 
No person engaged in soliciting or peddling shall occupy any fixed location upon any of the streets or alleys or sidewalks of the Township for the purpose of soliciting or peddling with or without any stand or counter.
Upon the failure of the licensee to comply with the rules of conduct established by § 200-7 or any other provision of this chapter or upon ascertainment that the licensee has made any false statement in his application for license hereunder, any license issued pursuant to this chapter shall be revoked by the Superintendent of the Marple Township Police Department or his designee. Notice of revocation shall be given by written notice, personally served or sent by certified mail, to the address designated for this purpose in the application for a license. The revocation shall be effective immediately upon issuance of the said notice of revocation by Superintendent of the Marple Township Police Department.
Any other provisions of this chapter to the contrary notwithstanding, any person, corporation, partnership or association, and the agents and employees thereof, who or which has complied with the provisions of and can exhibit satisfactory evidence of compliance with the Pennsylvania Solicitation of Funds for Charitable Purposes Act, 10 P. S. § 162.1 et seq., as amended, or Section 501(c), 501(d) and/or 509(a) of the Internal Revenue Code or any other statute of like nature of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or the United States governing solicitation for charitable, benevolent, patriotic or any purposes or who or which is soliciting for any civic, religious or charitable organizations representative of any public school, student, church, fire company, veterans' organization or similar institution shall be permitted, in lieu of the registration heretofore required, to register his or its solicitors and peddlers acting for and on behalf of such organization or association by the submission of the names and addresses (and pictures if requested) of all persons acting for and on behalf of such organization, together with a certification by the person submitting such list that all of the persons whose names appear on such lists are members of such organization and/or are acting on its behalf and have no criminal record as provided in § 200-5C hereof. Such group registrations shall be exempt from the fee provided herein.
The following organizations and activities shall not be required to register or pay the fee set forth herein. All other provisions of this chapter shall apply to said persons, organizations and activities:
A. 
The terms of this chapter shall not be held to include the acts of merchants or their employees or agents in delivering goods or services in the regular course of business.
B. 
Persons who have been licensed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to engage in an activity described in § 200-1 hereof, when so engaged, including, without limitation, real estate, insurance or securities brokers and salesmen.
C. 
Persons soliciting funds or canvassing for purposes permitted under the Act of 1937, June 3, P.L. 1333 (25 P.S. § 2601 et seq.), as amended (Pennsylvania Election Code).
D. 
Authorized persons, carrying satisfactory identification, engaged in making surveys or collecting information for the federal, state, county or Township government, or any agency thereof.
E. 
Residents of the Township under 18 years of age who take orders for and deliver newspapers, greeting cards, magazines, candy and other items on behalf of an organization of a type listed in § 200-9 of this chapter.
A. 
Commercial soliciting and peddling shall be limited to the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday in residential areas and during regular business hours in commercial areas.
B. 
Charitable soliciting, and soliciting, peddling and other activities by the organizations and individuals exempt from registration under § 200-10 of this Chapter shall be limited to the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Saturdays, and 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m. Sundays and holidays.
It is hereby declared to be unlawful and a public nuisance for any person, company, corporation or organization to enter upon the premises of a private residence or business at any time of the day or night for the purpose of conducting any form of soliciting or peddling where the owner or occupant of the residence or business has posted a "No Trespassing" sign or a "No Soliciting" sign, or upon any property duly registered by the occupant/possessor thereof on the Township "Do Not Solicit" list, which shall be maintained by the Superintendent of the Marple Township Police Department and a copy provided to the applicant with the license.
Any person who shall violate any of the provisions of this chapter shall, upon conviction thereof, be punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000, plus costs of prosecution, and in default of payment of such fine and costs by imprisonment for not more than 30 days. Each and every day in which any person, firm or corporation shall be in violation of this chapter shall constitute a separate offense.