Lower Moreland Requires License for Peddling and Solicitation

Commercial peddlers and solicitors are now required apply for and receive a license from the Lower Moreland Police Department, in order to conduct business in the township.

The requirement was the result of an amendment to the township’s Peddling and Soliciting ordinance, which the Lower Moreland Board of Commissioners unanimously voted for at the April 17 regular board meeting.

According to commissioner Ferdinand Gonzales, chair of the Ordinance Committee, the township had considered the amendment after receiving several complaints from residents about solicitations.

As seen on the e-code tab on the township’s website, the purpose of the Peddlers and Solicitation ordinance is to provide standards to protect the safety and privacy of residents, “by regulating the behavior of peddlers and limiting peddlers’ access to residents who do not wish to interact with them.  The ordinance also allows exemptions for noncommercial peddlers.

While the ordinance describes penalties for commercial peddlers and solicitors violating certain regulations while carrying on their business, the amendment takes the step to first identify those interested in conducting such business.

As read by Gonzales at the meeting, the application for a license may include, but not be limited to:

• Fingerpriting

• Photograph

• Criminal Record check

• Name of Employer

• Type of solicitation

The license is issued on an individual basis, and is non-transferrable. It costs $100 and is good for a 30-day period, after which time the solicitor must reapply for the license.

Lower Moreland Police chief Peter Hasson described the license as a 3-inch-by-5-inch laminated card with photo identification.

The license should be exhibited in clear view by the solicitor at all times, and shown at the request of a resident.

Residents may also register with the township’s “No Solicitation List.”

“For those people that don’t want to be solicited, there are a lot of safeguards,” Hasson said at the meeting. “If there are people who don’t mind soliciting, that’s ok, too.”

According to the township website, in addition to registering for the list, residents may purchase for a $1 a static cling sticker to be placed in a front door or window that would, “indicate to any solicitor that the resident or business owner does not wish to have a solicitor on the property.”

According to Chris Hoffman, Lower Moreland Township manager,  in a separate interview with Patch, residents interested in registering for the “No Solicitation List,” may do so in person at the township building, or online via the township website.

He added that residents should also remain vigil, should they see suspicious persons on their or their neighbor’s property.

“If there is a question of someone on your property, call the police immediately,” Hoffman said. “We rely on your info.”

For more information, visit www.lowermoreland.org.