[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Council of the Town of Coventry 4-8-1996 by Ord. No. 2-96-0201 (Ch. 8, Art. VIII, of the 1991 Code). Amendments noted where applicable.]
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
HAWKER
Any person selling or offering for sale any goods, wares or merchandise whatsoever, on or adjacent to any public street, highway or public right-of-way in the Town of Coventry from a stationary location.
[Amended 10-26-2020 by Ord. No. 10-20-337]
PEDDLER
Any person selling or offering for sale any goods, wares or merchandise whatsoever, from a vehicle, car or any conveyance which is not stationary.
[Amended 10-26-2020 by Ord. No. 10-20-337]
Catering trucks are neither hawkers nor peddlers and are exempt from the terms of this chapter.
A. 
A seasonal license shall be issued for a designated period of time, not to exceed 90 days.
B. 
A temporary license shall be issued for a designated period of time, not to exceed 60 days within a three-hundred-sixty-five-day period.
C. 
A one-day license shall be issued for a period of time not to exceed one day in duration.
A. 
It shall be unlawful for any hawker or peddler to sell or offer for sale any goods, wares or merchandise whatsoever, within the Town of Coventry without first having obtained a license therefor. Application for the license shall be made to the Town Clerk. The fee for the license shall be the fee listed for peddlers in the license schedule of Chapter 122, Fees, of the Code of the Town of Coventry.
[Amended 10-26-2020 by Ord. No. 10-20-337]
B. 
No license shall be issued without said hawker or peddler providing proof that he/she has been issued a permit to make sales at retail by the Rhode Island Division of Taxation.
C. 
No more than five peddlers' and/or hawkers' licenses shall be issued and outstanding at any time. Each license shall be restricted to the sale of goods, wares or merchandise from a specific location.
D. 
If applicable, the hawker and/or peddler shall secure a Sunday sales license.
E. 
A hawker or peddler is prohibited from selling or offering for sale any goods, wares or merchandise, within 1,000 feet of another business which sells the same or similar goods, wares or merchandise, including food and beverages, with the exception of another hawker or peddler.
[Amended 10-26-2020 by Ord. No. 10-20-337]
F. 
A hawker or peddler must have available, adequate off-street parking for his/her customers. If a hawker or peddler is located on a State of Rhode Island roadway, then evidence of securing state permission to be located in the right-of-way must be provided along with the license application.
G. 
Along with the fee for the license, as provided in Chapter 122, Fees, of the Code of Town of Coventry, there shall be a filing fee for the peddlers and hawkers license established from time to time by the Town Council. This cost shall reflect the administrative cost for the processing of the license application.
A. 
Apart from the prescribed number of peddlers and hawkers licenses to be eligible for issuance, the Town Council may issue seasonal, temporary and one-day licenses. These shall be issued to accommodate the seasonal products offered for sale.
B. 
These seasonal licenses shall be issued at ninety-day intervals and are subject to all the terms and conditions outlined in this chapter for said license.
C. 
The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to those peddlers and hawkers who can provide clear proof of their eligibility under the Rhode Island Right-to-Farm Act.
Any person violating § 183-4 of this chapter shall, upon conviction, be fined for each offense an amount not exceeding $200 or imprisoned not exceeding 10 days.
For just and good cause the Town Council may revoke any license issued under this chapter.