City Code, ExplainedBetaPardon our dust while we build this out — expect some changes along the way.

This chapter regulates door-to-door peddling, canvassing, and soliciting; sidewalk retail stands in the Central Business District; pawnbrokers, secondhand dealers, and scrap dealers; and garage/yard sales.

Who this affects

Anyone going door-to-door or by phone to sell goods or services, operators of movable sidewalk carts downtown, businesses that buy or trade used goods (antiques, pawned items, scrap metal), and residents holding occasional yard sales.

Key rules

• Solicitors, canvassers, and peddlers must obtain a license from the Mayor before doing business; exempt persons (e.g., minors under 18, sellers of baked goods, fruit/vegetables, or dairy products) must still register with the Bureau of Police without a fee.
• "Cold canvass" (uninvited telephone contact by a solicitor without a permanent place of business in the City) is prohibited.
• Licensed business may only be conducted between 9:00 a.m. and sunset on weekdays; no business on Sunday.
• No shouting, horns, bells, or sound-amplifying devices may be used to attract attention to goods for sale.
• No peddling within 30 feet of a street intersection or from the left side of a parked vehicle; sales only from the sidewalk or tree lawn.
• Licenses are non-transferable and must be carried and shown on request to police or prospective purchasers.
• Retail stands require a conditional use permit and are limited to the Central Business District, with detailed size limits (cart no more than 3 by 5 by 5 feet), material, signage, insurance ($500,000 minimum for City-owned sites), and placement rules (e.g., not within 10 feet of a sidewalk intersection, not within 50 feet of another permitted stand, not within 200 feet of a school, park, or playground without written consent).
• Retail stands must be removed daily between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. and never left unattended.
• Antique dealers, secondhand dealers, pawnbrokers, and scrap dealers must keep detailed written records (item description, date, price, and the seller's name, address, phone, Social Security number, license number, birth date, and race) for at least 24 months, and must not buy from an unaccompanied minor.
• Purchased items generally must be held for five business days before resale or disposal.
• Dealers must notify police within two business days of unusual or suspicious transactions, such as firearms, collectibles, unopened new items, or bulk commonly-stolen goods.
• Garage/yard sales require a free permit, are limited to four per year per property and three consecutive days per sale, may include up to three cooperating families, and may only sell surplus personal property (not new merchandise bought for resale).
• Garage/yard sale signs cannot be placed on utility poles and must be removed by 5:00 p.m. on the last day of the sale.

Penalties

Peddling/soliciting violations: fine of not more than $600, plus imprisonment up to 90 days in default of payment. Retail stand violations: same fine and imprisonment terms, with each day a separate offense. Pawnbroker/secondhand/scrap dealer violations: $100–$300 fine for a first offense, $300–$600 for subsequent offenses, plus costs, with each day a separate offense. Garage/yard sale violations: fine of not more than $50.

Notable and archaic details

• The 1966-era recordkeeping requirement for secondhand dealers and pawnbrokers requires recording a customer's race.
• The peddling rule about children under 12 crossing streets unlawfully appears folded into the same section governing peddling location, an unusual pairing of subjects.
• Bright, cheerful colors are explicitly cited as a way to satisfy the retail stand design standard.