Ordinances regulating certain vendors

A. Any locality may by ordinance provide for the regulation of persons not otherwise licensed by the Commonwealth under Title 38.2, offering any item for sale within the locality when such persons go from one place of human habitation to another offering an item, other than newspapers and fresh farm products, for sale. The purpose of such ordinance is to reasonably control the activities of door-to-door vendors for the safety and well-being of the people residing in the locality. However, the locality may in such ordinance exempt such activities when they are conducted on behalf of a nonprofit charitable, civic, or religious organization and may provide for other reasonable exemptions in such ordinance.

B. Any locality adopting an ordinance under this section may collect a fee in an amount not to exceed $20, from each person granted a permit to sell door to door.

C. Nothing herein shall be construed to apply to any person who, on behalf of any political party as defined in § 24.2-101 or any political campaign committee required to file a report or statement of contributions and expenditures, engages in providing information, opinion-sampling, poll-taking, or other similar canvassing activity.

1975, c. 378, §§ 15.1-37.3:1, 15.1-37.3:2; 1983, c. 383; 1997, c. 587 ; 2024, c. 172 .