What You Should Know About Door-to-Door Solicitors

From the City of Shoreline website

The City of Shoreline has a municipal ordinance regulating the activities of sales people and solicitors (Shoreline Municipal Code 5.07). It requires for-profit solicitors and “Master Solicitors” who employ them to file a written application for a license with the Shoreline City Clerk and carry the license at all times when soliciting or canvassing. Solicitors must produce the license when requested by persons being solicited, police or City officials.

The following are exempt from the license requirements:

• Tax-exempt non-profit organizations who have filed a current 501(C)3 with the City Clerk
• Newspaper deliverers
• Political candidates, campaign workers and political committees soliciting signatures of registered voters
• Sales people who solicit businesses

Below are a few crime prevention tips to safeguard yourself and your home from unscrupulous door-to-door solicitors:

• Always ask solicitors for identification to verify what company they are working for. If they refuse, ask them to leave.
• Ask to see their license from the City of Shoreline. If they do not have one, ask them to leave.
• Never invite a solicitor into your home. You can say “no thank you” without opening the door.
• Never give a solicitor your Social Security number.
• Avoid paying with a check or credit card. Cash is best -- get a receipt.
• If an item seems too good or too inexpensive to be true, it probably is.
• Orders taken are required to be in writing, in duplicate (you get a copy) and to state the name of the solicitor as it appears on his/her license, the solicitor’s permit number, the address of the solicitor and their employer, the terms of the agreement and the amount paid to the solicitor.
• If you encounter a solicitor who becomes aggressive or won’t take “no” for an answer, ask them to leave, shut the door and call 911.
• You may post a “No Solicitor” sign on private property.

For more information about solicitation regulations, call the Shoreline City Clerk’s Office at 206-801-2230, or refer to Shoreline Municipal Code 5.07.

Find out which solicitors have a current license from the Solicitor List on the City Website.  As of today, these businesses have licenses through the end of the year:  

• Merry Maids
• Edward Jones
• Student Painters.net
• Energy Exteriors

To report solicitor violations, call Shoreline Police Non-Emergency at 206-296-3311.

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