Effingham County, GA Soliciting & Door-to-Door: No-Knock Registry (2026)

Effingham County's solicitor/canvasser ordinance, Sec. 42-10, requires anyone going house to house selling goods or services to first file an application with the county sheriff's office and obtain a permit; the sheriff's office runs a police-record and GCIC/NCIC check and can deny a permit to an applicant with a pending charge or conviction for a crime of moral turpitude or an offense involving assault and battery. A permit is valid for six months and can be renewed. Once permitted, a solicitor must wear a visible badge showing their name, company and ID number, carry a state-issued ID, present an information card to each household, and announce their name and permit status before soliciting.

Subsection (6) fixes the hours: no solicitation before 9:00 a.m. or after 7:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and none on Sunday at all. Subsection (3)(d) bars a solicitor from entering a home without an express invitation and states that if a 'no soliciting' sign is posted, no soliciting shall be made there. Solicitors must also leave immediately when an occupant asks them to and cannot use abusive or intimidating language. The sheriff's office keeps a log of complaints and can suspend a permit, with an appeal running to the Magistrate Court of Effingham County. Sec. 42-10(10) sets the penalty: a fine of up to $1,000.00 and/or imprisonment of up to 60 days for any violation.