City changes panhandling ordinance
Panhandlers and door-to-door solicitors in Greensboro, N.C., now must display a privilege licensing agreement at all times in accordance with the city’s newly revised panhandling ordinance. The new ordinance aims to ensure that solicitors are easily identifiable and have been absent of criminal activity for the past five years.
Under the revised ordinance, all peddlers must register with the city and submit to a criminal background check. Once approved, they must display their licensing agreement — on a lanyard or clipped to their clothing — to show their name, type of license, and date of expiration. Individuals who have not registered with the city or who do not have their licenses in plain sight will not be allowed to solicit for personal gain and could be found guilty of a misdemeanor, according to a city press release.
The Greensboro City Council approved the ordinance change in September, and all peddlers have until June 30, 2011, to comply with the new requirements. View Greensboro’s “panhandler licenses” video.
