Clovis door sales rules and how to stop solicitors

Among ordinances to limit door-to-door sales in Clovis, the city requires salespeople to show business licenses issued by the city of Clovis.

KatarzynaBialasiewicz

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With the spring in full swing, so is the door-to-door sales season.

You know, those moments of unexpected knocks or repeated rings of the doorbell by an unfamiliar person — somehow often during dinner or a baby nap or a critical moment of a TV show.

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Globally, door-to-door sales generated approximately $200 billion in 2022, according to the website TheD2DExperts.com. So there are people who are opening their wallets and signing contracts following unprompted visits from salespeople at their door.

But for those not interested in listening to sales pitches at their door, did you know there are laws in place in Clovis that help curb those unsolicited solicitations?

There’s also suggestions from the city of what residents can do to discourage door-to-door sales.

Here are some of the Clovis ordinances pertaining to door-to-door sales and some of the back history.

In 2009, Clovis implemented rules that require salespeople to show business licenses issued by the city of Clovis. The rules remain in place.

So any door-to-door salesperson in Clovis who doesn’t have a city-issued business license could face a $100 fine. And if found violating the ordinance a second time, the fine is increased to $500.

There are also restrictions when door-to-door sales can occur — limited between 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. This solicitation ordinance also addresses people who use street medians to raise money, ranging from panhandlers to groups that hold car wash fundraisers.

The rules were implemented following continuous complaints about overly aggressive salespeople who were perhaps even pushy and rude.

And 17 years later since those ordinances went into effect, similar complaints in Clovis are still occurring.

“Are you the king of the castle?” said a young salesman who was going door to door in Clovis trying to sell solar panels.

“If you just showed me your electricity bill, I could save you some money,” said another salesperson.

One of the reasons the City of Clovis started requiring door-to-door salespeople to show city-issued business licenses was that vans would drop off sales groups in neighborhoods and it turned out those companies did not have Clovis business licenses or weren’t located in Clovis, Councilmember Drew Bessinger said back when he served as a Clovis police captain.

Clovis police suggested residents who do not want to deal with door-to-door salespeople to display a no soliciting sign that can be easily seen.

“If a resident has a no soliciting sign, a business needs to abide by any signage and cannot solicit there,” said Ty Wood, a service officer with the Clovis police.

And if a solicitor refuses to leave the property after informing them that they need to go, “then it becomes trespassing and that’s a misdemeanor,” Wood added.

Clovis police deal with multiple calls each month of aggressive solicitors.

Residents can contact Clovis police through its non-emergency number and report solicitors in violation at 559-324-2800.

Regulations on door-to-door sales, however, do not apply to religious groups who go door to door.

Clovis door sales rules and how to stop solicitors

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