§ 18-58. Distributing handbills at inhabited private premises.

(a)

No person shall throw, deposit or distribute any handbill in or upon private premises which are inhabited, except by handing or transmitting any such handbill directly to the owner, occupant, or other person present in or upon such private premises.

(b)

The provisions of subsection (a) shall not apply to the distribution of mail by the United States, nor to newspapers, except that newspapers shall be placed on private property in such a manner as to prevent their being carried or deposited by the elements upon any street, sidewalk, or other public place or upon private property. Nor shall the provisions of subsection (a) apply to the posting of notices by city personnel, contractors employed by the city, or employees of utility providers recognized by the city if said notices are for purposes other than solicitation.

(c)

A non-profit organization may obtain a permit from the city clerk to distribute handbills at inhabited private premises without leaving such handbill with an owner, occupant or other person. The permit shall be valid for two (2) days and the non-profit organization may only apply for one (1) permit during an eleven-month period. Permits can only be issued for community service projects and cannot be issued for fundraising activities. The permit applicant shall fully describe activities and rationale for the permit. If the city receives complaints from residents that they do not want the handbills, the permit applicant shall retrieve the handbills from the resident in a timely fashion. The permit application shall provide contact information so that such complaints may be forwarded. The city clerk may reject a permit application if it does not meet the criteria in this subsection or upon evidence of past abuses of this policy.

(Code 1977, §§ 9.43, 9.44; Ord. No. 692, § 1, 2-19-08; Ord. No. 784, § 1, 7-3-17)