Chatham County, GA Soliciting & Door-to-Door: No-Knock Registry (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Code of Chatham County § 16-314(5)
- Sign effect
- Bars entry once No Soliciting sign is posted
- Also covers
- Charitable, religious and subscription solicitors
- Display duty
- License/permit must be shown, § 16-314(8)
- Max penalty
- $500 fine or 30 days jail, § 16-316
Summary
Posting a No Soliciting sign carries legal weight in unincorporated Chatham County. Sec. 16-314(5) makes it a violation for any peddler or solicitor to enter or remain on a property, or return, once that sign is displayed or the occupant has asked the peddler to leave.
No peddler or solicitor shall enter a private residence, place of business, public building, or other premises within the County under false pretenses for the purpose of peddling goods or services, soliciting orders for the sale of goods or services, soliciting subscriptions, or soliciting contributions; no peddler or solicitor shall remain in or on such premises after the owner, occupant, or other person in charge has requested the peddler or solicitor to leave; and no peddler or solicitor shall go in or on such premises when the owner, occupant, or other person in charge has displayed a "No Soliciting" sign or other similar sign on the premises.
Full Breakdown
Chatham County does not run a separate do-not-knock registry; instead it enforces the no-solicitation choice directly through the peddler and solicitor ordinance that covers transient and local peddlers and solicitors for charitable, religious, or subscription causes (Code Ch. 16, Art. IV). Sec. 16-314(5) bars a peddler or solicitor from entering a private residence, business, public building, or other premises under false pretenses, from remaining after the owner or occupant asks the peddler to leave, and separately from going onto premises at all once the owner or occupant has displayed a No Soliciting sign or similar sign.
The rule applies equally to for-profit peddlers, charitable and religious solicitors, and subscription solicitors covered elsewhere in the article. Sec. 16-314(9) lets any Chatham County Police Department officer or other authorized county officer direct a peddler or solicitor to correct a violation on the spot, and failure to comply with that directive is itself punishable. Sec. 16-314(8) separately requires every peddler and solicitor to display a valid county license or permit, or a copy of it, in a way the person being solicited can see, so a resident who wants to check legitimacy before invoking the sign rule can ask to see it.
Violations & Fines
Ignoring a posted No Soliciting sign, entering under false pretenses, or refusing to leave when asked violates Sec. 16-314(5). Sec. 16-316 penalizes any violation of the peddler ordinance with a fine of not more than $500, imprisonment of not more than 30 days in the county jail, or both, plus costs, with each day treated as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a No Soliciting sign actually stop door-to-door sellers in Chatham County?
Does the sign rule apply to charities and magazine sellers, not just salespeople?
How is a violation of the no-soliciting rule punished?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chatham County
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