Solicitor Permits: Concord vs Martinez

Concord Municipal Code Chapter 5.50 regulates commercial door-to-door solicitation, requiring a city peddler/solicitor permit, identification card display, and compliance with posted "No Soliciting" signs. Hours are typically limited to 9 AM to sunset (or 8 PM in summer). Non-commercial, religious, and political canvassing are protected First Amendment activity and cannot be permit-restricted.

Passive panhandling in Martinez is constitutionally protected speech and cannot be broadly banned. Municipal Code Chapter 9.20 targets aggressive solicitation (threatening conduct, following, blocking passage, or solicitation near ATMs, bus stops, and businesses after dark) rather than the act of asking for money itself. Enforcement focuses on conduct-based violations consistent with Ninth Circuit precedent.