Newton County, GA Public Conduct: Aggressive Panhandling (2026)

Newton County Code Chapter 12, Article V regulates road-side solicitation under Sec. 12-118 through 12-125. The Board of Commissioners adopted the article because solicitors who enter the roadway to collect money from stopped drivers put themselves, drivers, and pedestrians at risk, and unregulated groups had been soliciting in hazardous ways. Section 12-120 makes it a violation to stand or enter a highway or public street for the purpose of soliciting employment, business, or contributions without a sheriff-issued permit, and only a charitable organization, defined as a 501(c) nonprofit, state-registered nonprofit corporation, church, or public or private school, qualifies.

An individual panhandler acting alone cannot obtain a permit under this article. Applicants must apply to the sheriff at least five business days but no more than 60 calendar days before the event, and the sheriff decides within three business days. The application must list the organizer's name, address, height, weight, age, sex, race, and social security number for a background check, along with the proposed intersections and number of solicitors. on weekdays, and at any time after sunset or before sunrise. No more than one organization may solicit at the same intersection at the same time, solicitors must be over 18, must wear an orange reflective vest and identification, and warning signs must be posted at least 500 feet ahead of the activity. A charitable organization is limited to two permits per calendar year.