CARBONDALE – The City of Carbondale frequently receives inquiries regarding persons going door-to-door to solicit orders and sales. The city has highlighted some key points regarding solicitors here. For full information and guidelines, visit https://www.explorecarbondale.com/1001/Public-Notices. 

Solicitors within the city must apply for and be approved for a permit to solicit in Carbondale. When a solicitor’s permit is issued, the individual has met the criminal background check criteria. A valid permit does not mean that the City has approved of the company on whose behalf the sales are being sought.  

Per the Carbondale Revised City Code, solicitors must adhere to the following guidelines and rules regulating door-to-door solicitation: 

• No Soliciting prior to 9:00 a.m. or after 6:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday or before noon and after 6:00 p.m. on Sundays and national or state holidays.  

• No one is allowed to solicit on any premises that posts a notice stating words of similar meaning to “NO SOLICITORS, NO PEDDLERS, or NO TRESPASSING.” If you do not wish to have solicitors come to your door, we suggest you put up a clearly visible sign with the language referenced here.  

• Each individual solicitor must carry a valid city-issued solicitor’s permit and must display their permit when requested by residents or city officials.  

• Solicitors may not misrepresent or make false, deceptive, or misleading statements concerning the quality, quantity, or character of any merchandise offered for sale. Complaints about door-to-door solicitors may be filed with the City Clerk’s office. 

• Residents should be aware that the City of Carbondale, Ameren Illinois, and Homefield Energy do not send people door-to-door to register residents for the supply of alternate energy. 

• Residents should never compromise their security by providing a solicitor with utility account information unless they intend to enroll in an alternate energy program of their own choosing. The city recommends that residents carefully protect their account information and energy billing information from solicitors and all other non-account holders. 

Beyond the restrictions listed above, the city does not directly regulate the demeanor of individual solicitors. Remember, however, that as a homeowner or occupant, you may at any time ask a solicitor to leave your property. Every resident has the right to feel secure in their home. Should you feel threatened or unsafe based upon a solicitor’s behavior, contact police immediately at 618-457-3200. The city encourages residents who have complaints about aggressive or deceptive practices of a business to file a consumer complaint with the Illinois Attorney General’s Office at 800-243-0618 or online. 

Constitutional Rights  

The First Amendment and the U.S. Constitution protect the rights of door-to-door solicitors and preclude the ability of a community to ban door-to-door sales. The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld free speech for commercial purposes and the city’s ability to restrict commercial door-to-door solicitation is limited to local regulations restricting the time, place and manner of door-to-door solicitations. Homeowners and occupants, however, do have the ultimate right to determine whether solicitors shall or shall not be invited to their residences or property.   

You also have rights. You have a choice, do not acknowledge them or answer your door if you do not want to engage.