Portland City Code Chapter 14B.30 regulates door-to-door commercial solicitors. Solicitors must obtain a Solicitor License from the Portland City Revenue Division, may not solicit before 9:00 a.m. or after sunset (and never after 9:00 p.m.), and must immediately leave any property posted with a 'No Soliciting' sign. Religious, political, and charitable canvassing is constitutionally protected and not licensed.
PCC 14B.30 (Solicitors) requires any person who goes door-to-door for commercial purposes β magazine sales, home-improvement leads, alarm-system sales, utility-rate switching β to first obtain a Solicitor License from the City of Portland Revenue Division. The license requires background information, photo ID, and a $50-$100 fee, and licensees must wear a visible badge while soliciting. Solicitation hours are limited to 9:00 a.m. through sunset, and in no event later than 9:00 p.m. (PCC 14B.30.040). A solicitor must immediately leave any property posted with a 'No Soliciting,' 'No Trespassing,' or similar sign β failure to do so is enforceable as criminal trespass (PCC 14A.50.020) and as a Chapter 14B violation. Aggressive or coercive solicitation, false representation of charitable purpose, or solicitation in the public right-of-way blocking pedestrian flow are separately prohibited. Religious and political canvassing, charitable solicitation, and union organizing are not 'commercial' solicitation under federal First Amendment doctrine (Watchtower Bible & Tract Society v. Village of Stratton) and cannot be licensed in the same way, though they remain subject to the 'No Soliciting' sign rule (treated as a property-owner trespass notice). Complaints about unlicensed or aggressive solicitors are made to the Portland Police Bureau non-emergency line; license violations may also be reported to the Revenue Division. Charity scams should additionally be reported to the Oregon Department of Justice Charitable Activities Section under ORS 128.886.
PCC 14B.30 civil penalty up to $500 per violation, with license revocation for repeat violators. Continued solicitation after a 'No Soliciting' notice is criminal trespass under PCC 14A.50.020 β Class C misdemeanor with up to 30 days jail and $1,250 fine.
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