Ridgewood, NJ Soliciting & Door-to-Door: No-Knock Registry (2026)
Key Facts
- Curfew hours
- 9:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m., every day
- No-knock trigger
- Posted "No Solicitors" sign at entrance
- Enforcing agency
- Ridgewood Police Department
- Max fine
- $1,000 under Code § 1-15
- Adopted
- August 5, 2003, Ord. No. 2834
- Governing chapter
- Chapter 218, Peddling and Soliciting
Summary
Village of Ridgewood Code § 218-3F bans door-to-door solicitation between 9:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. every day, and § 218-3J makes it unlawful to knock or ring a doorbell at any Ridgewood home displaying a "No Solicitors" sign unless the occupant has invited that visitor.
F. It shall be unlawful for any peddler, solicitor or canvasser to ply or conduct his trade or to solicit between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. on any day. ... J. It shall be unlawful for any person engaged in solicitation or for any peddler, solicitor or canvasser to knock at the door or ring the doorbell of any home, apartment or any other dwelling unit in the Village upon which is clearly displayed at the entrance a notice which reads "No Solicitors" or which otherwise clearly purports to prohibit solicitation on the premises, unless such person is or has been invited upon the premises by the occupant thereof.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4854397; v35 updated 2026-04-22; through 04-22-2026).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 218, Peddling and Soliciting, adopted August 5, 2003 by Ordinance No. 2834 and amended August 8, 2007 by Ordinance No. 3075, sets two separate bars for anyone going door to door in the Village of Ridgewood, Bergen County. on any day," a flat curfew that runs seven days a week with no seasonal exception. Subsection J makes it unlawful to knock at the door or ring the doorbell of any home, apartment or dwelling unit that clearly displays a "No Solicitors" notice at the entrance, unless the occupant has invited that specific visitor onto the premises.
The Village Council's stated purpose in § 218-1 is crime prevention: limiting hours reduces the number of strangers on residential streets after dark, and the no-knock rule protects a resident's expressed wish for privacy. Both bars bind every "peddler, solicitor or canvasser," terms Chapter 218 defines broadly to include anyone taking orders, collecting donations, or polling house to house, whether or not a sample or payment changes hands (§ 218-2). Subsection K adds a companion duty: a solicitor asked, orally or in writing, to leave any premises must depart immediately. and still barred from a posted door.
Violations & Fines
Violating the curfew or the no-knock rule is a Village Code offense enforced by the Ridgewood Police Department. Because Chapter 218 sets no chapter-specific fine, a conviction falls under the Village's general penalty, Code § 1-15: a fine up to $1,000, up to 90 days in the county jail, up to 90 days of community service, or a combination, with each day of a continuing violation treated as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a solicitor knock even if my house has no sign?
Does the 9 p.m. curfew apply to charities and political canvassers?
What happens if I ask a solicitor to leave and they refuse?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Ridgewood
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