EDISON — As seasons change, so do the hours in which licensed solicitors can knock on residential doors in Edison.
On May 9, members of the Township Council voted to amend an ordinance pertaining to licensed solicitors and peddlers. The law now requires such persons to wear an identification badge “on the lapel or somewhere on the chest” at all times he/she is conducting door-to-door business.
Soliciting hours are now limited to 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. from April 15 through Oct. 15, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Oct. 16 through April 14, Monday through Saturday.
Each licensed solicitor must contact the Edison Police Department once a week when he/she plans to solicit in the municipality and provide the location where he/she will be conducting business.
Council Vice President Leonard Sendelsky said he asked the legal department to amend the ordinance.
“I just don’t think it is appropriate for solicitors to be out during daylight savings hours to bother people when it is pitch black outside,” he said. “This was an ordinance modeled after an ordinance in Clark and [Township Attorney William] Mr. Northgrave modified and put together the ordinance.”
Councilman Joseph Coyle said what he likes most in the amended ordinance is the change in hours of solicitation when seasons change and as the clocks roll back.
Council President Ajay Patil asked if election campaigning falls under the ordinance. Northgrave said election campaigning does not fall under the ordinance due to concerns of First Amendment issues.
Contact Kathy Chang at kchang@newspapermediagroup.com.
