(a) Any
person desiring to canvass or solicit within the city shall file a
written application for a permit to do so with the city administrator,
which application shall show:
(1) The name and address of the applicant; if the applicant is an association,
company or corporation, then it shall state its name along with the
names of the persons who will be soliciting in the city;
(2) The name and address of the employer or firm which such applicant
represents;
(3) If the applicant is a corporation, or if the individual is employed
by a corporation, the date and place of incorporation;
(4) The names of other communities in which the applicant has worked
as a solicitor or canvasser in the past 12 months; and if he was employed
by a different company in the other communities, the name of those
companies shall also be stated;
(5) The nature of merchandise to be sold or offered for sale or the nature
of the services to be furnished;
(6) Whether such applicant upon any such order so obtained will demand,
accept or receive payment of deposit of money in advance of final
delivery;
(7) The period of time such applicant so wishes to solicit, sell or take
orders in the city;
(8) An outline of the methods to be used in conducting the solicitations;
(9) A physical description of the applicant or any agents of the applicant,
which includes race, sex, height, weight, hair and eye color, date
of birth, driver’s license number and the name of the state
issuing the driver’s license;
(10) A description of any vehicle to be used by the applicant or its agents;
and
(11) An itinerary to be used by the applicant or its agents, including
a street map highlighted to show actual routes to be used by such
applicant and its agents in any solicitations within the corporate
limits of the city.
Such applicant shall provide a copy of a current general liability,
property damage and medical coverage insurance policy issued by an
insurance company authorized to do insurance business in the state.
(b) Such
applicant shall also show satisfactory proof of his authority to represent
the company or individual such applicant states that he represents
and such proof shall be in writing.
(c) Where any individual, association, company or corporation will be represented by more than 15 individuals serving as solicitors, such individual, association, company or corporation may apply for a master permit to solicit, in lieu of each individual obtaining a permit to solicit. The application for this master permit will include all the information requested in subsection
(a) of this section, except subsections
(a)(4) and
(a)(9). The applicant will maintain at all times a list containing the names and addresses of individuals soliciting under the master permit. This list will be made available to the city administrator or his designee upon request during regular business hours.
(d) The application fee for an individual permit shall be as established in appendix
A to this code. The application fee for a master permit shall be as established in appendix
A to this code. No permit shall be issued until such fee has been paid by the applicant.
(e) A
permit applied for under this section shall be issued by the city
administrator when the application is approved and any required bond
is filed, unless it is determined that the applicant has provided
false information on his application.
(f) A
permit requested under this section shall be issued for the length
of time requested, not to exceed six months. Upon expiration of one
permit, the solicitor may apply for a new permit in the manner prescribed
by this section.
(1996 Code, sec. 58-57; Ordinance
adopting Code)
The permit required by this division or the issuance of a permit
under the provisions of this division shall not be required of the
following:
(1) Ordinary
commercial travelers who sell or exhibit for sale goods, wares or
merchandise to persons engaged in the business of buying, selling
and dealing in the same within the city.
(2) Persons
soliciting on the property by express prior invitation of the person
residing on such premises.
(3) Persons
operating under occupational licenses granted by a state agency.
(4) Individuals
or organizations making solicitations for religious organizations.
(1996 Code, sec. 58-58)
Along with every individual permit issued under the provisions
of this division, the permittee shall be issued a permit certificate
which shall contain the following information: Name of permittee,
permit number, date of expiration of permit and the signature of the
city administrator. It shall be unlawful for the permittee to engage
in his business without having such certificate in his possession;
and it shall further be unlawful for such permittee to fail or refuse
to show or display such certificate upon the request of any person
demanding the same.
(1996 Code, sec. 58-60)
Should an applicant have a permit revoked by the city administrator,
he may appeal that action to the city council by submitting a letter
to the city administrator’s office within ten days of the action
complained of. A hearing on the denial will then be scheduled for
the next regular meeting of the council, or a special meeting of the
council, to be held within 15 days of the appeal. The council will
render a decision on the appeal within ten days of such hearing. The
city council may grant waivers to the provisions of this division
upon a showing of good cause.
(1996 Code, sec. 58-61)