In recent days there have been several complaints, questions, or concerns communicated to municipal staff at some of the NLCRPD participating municipalities concerning solicitors or peddlers going door to door attempting to sell items or enroll residents for specific services.

Residents who reside in either Warwick Township or East Petersburg Borough are encouraged to ask the soliciting party if they are subject to registration and demand to examine the required permit. In those cases, involving solicitors in both East Petersburg and Warwick Township there is a required identification card with a photograph issued by the NLCRPD to the solicitor in compliance with the ordinance. As a resident you have the right ask to have the solicitor exhibit the card for your examination. East Petersburg Borough has a list of approved solicitors posted on the government webpage.

Take for example this case study, last week a solicitor rang the doorbell at the residence of a member of the NLCRPD. When asked if the solicitor had a permit the solicitor immediately smiled and said they did, pointing to a card behind a company identification card hanging from their belt. When a request was made to produce the permit the smile on the face of the solicitor began to fade, when the resident identified themselves as a NLCRPD agency member while examining the permit – the smile vanished. The permit was for a municipality in Dauphin County and was never issued for the municipality where the act was ongoing. This solicitor was advised to cease and desist and to obtain a permit. This simple and easy to follow process is depicted at the NLCRPD webpage at nlcrpd.org

This unlicensed solicitation was for pest control. Apparently the most effective method of pest control that day was a simple request to produce a solicitors permit. Thus ending an unsolicited and unwelcome sales interview. Remember – this is the game many unscrupulous vendors play with the public. Demand to see the permit and self-advocate to protect yourself against scams or other potential loss of your hard-earned monies. If they do not have a permit when required – simply send them on their merry way. If they cannot or will not comply with the local requirements, they are likely not to provide a standard of service or a product that is satisfactory to the consumer.

To assist residents in further understanding of the requirements for solicitation as established by ordinance, the NLCRPD is providing links to each of the municipalities and is attaching PDF copies of the governing ordinance to this release where applicable.

East Petersburg https://www.eastpetersburgborough.org/ - Ordinance in effect see attachment
Warwick Township https://www.warwicktownship.org/ - Ordinance in effect see attachment

Both Penn Township and Clay Township have not established ordinances designed to regulate the soliciting or peddling process.

Penn Township https://penntwplanco.org/ - No governing ordinance
Clay Township http://claytwp.com/ - No Governing ordinance