Pocatello, ID Public Conduct: Aggressive Panhandling (2026)

Pocatello's solicitors and peddlers chapter defines a panhandler as anyone who asks for money or items of value for personal benefit, as charity, usually in public places or on public rights of way, under § 5.52.020, and folds panhandlers into the same general restrictions chapter as licensed solicitors, peddlers and canvassers. Section 5.52.130 bars any of the four groups from claiming an exclusive right to a location on a public street or sidewalk and from operating in a congested area where it would impede or inconvenience the public; subsection B lets any public safety officer or city licensing officer enforce the rule directly.

Panhandlers are exempt from the chapter's licensing, background check, and bond requirements that apply to solicitors and peddlers, but § 5.52.110(C) lets a panhandler voluntarily register with the City Clerk for an identification badge, submitting two 2-inch by 2-inch photographs and one government-issued ID, to reassure residents of good faith. Section 5.52.140 separately makes it unlawful for anyone soliciting or peddling to enter premises posted with a No Peddlers or No Solicitors sign, and § 5.52.150 bars continuing to ask for money from someone who has already said no, a restriction Chapter 5.52 applies by its own terms to solicitors and peddlers rather than panhandlers.