Jacksonville, NC Public Conduct: Aggressive Panhandling (2026)

City Code Sec. 23-13 regulates solicitation of employment, business, or contributions on public highways or streets for personal gain. Solicitation is only allowed between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. every day, including during daylight saving time. Subsection (c) bans solicitation entirely at bus stops, in public transportation vehicles, in a vehicle on the street, on private property without the owner's written permission, on school property during arrival or departure hours, on sidewalks adjacent to restaurant or theater lines, on library or other government property during operating hours, within fifty feet of an ATM or bank entrance, within fifty feet of a crosswalk, on the traveled portion of any street or highway, within 1,000 feet of an interchange or highway ramp, at any of thirteen listed street corners defined by intersecting curb lines, inside any named city park, and near fourteen specific high-traffic intersections such as Western and Gateway North or Highway 17 and Georgetown.

Subsection (d) separately criminalizes aggressive manners of solicitation: coming within three feet of the person solicited before they indicate a donation, soliciting while intoxicated or after illegal drug use, blocking a sidewalk or street, following someone after they walk away, using profane or abusive language, soliciting in a group of two or more, making threatening gestures or statements, or touching someone without consent. Subsection (e) separately bans false or misleading representations while soliciting, such as falsely claiming to be homeless, disabled, or a veteran, or misrepresenting the purpose of a requested donation.

Subsection (f) bans stepping into a roadway, exchanging items across a non-curb lane, displaying a sign larger than two feet, or stopping a vehicle at a green light.