Can Solicitors Ignore a “No Soliciting” Sign on Your Home?

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You see them on mailboxes, front doors, windows, on signs in front yards, and more: “No soliciting.”

Some might say “no solicitors,” “no door-to-door sales,” or something similar with the same general message that solicitation is not welcome at that residence. But does the message actually stop someone from knocking, or is it mostly a request? Is there any legal weight behind it?

Learn what homeowners should know about what these signs can and can’t do, plus other ways to limit unwanted sales pitches.

Do “No Soliciting” Signs Carry Legal Weight?

Yes, they can, but that legal weight usually comes from local law.

Nashville, Tennessee, for example, says commercial door-to-door solicitors can’t solicit at a home with a visible “No Solicitation” or “No Trespassing” sign, even if the solicitor has a permit.

Some county or municipality codes regulate that an uninvited person can’t enter or remain on private property to try to sell goods or services when a “No Solicitation” or “No Trespassing” sign appears at or near the entrance. It largely depends on how the local law defines solicitation.

Commercial salespeople commonly fall under these rules. Other visitors may not. For example, some areas exempt charitable, religious, and political organizations from its posted-property rule. Knocking to solicit at a properly posted home can violate a local ordinance in some areas.

Hurricane, Utah, makes it a violation for a solicitor to knock, ring the doorbell, or otherwise try to get a resident’s attention for solicitation when the home displays a no soliciting sign. Its rules also require solicitors to leave when a resident asks them to go.

That doesn’t mean every sign carries the same penalty throughout the country. A “No Soliciting” sign also isn’t necessarily the same as a “No Trespassing” sign. State and local laws set their own rules for both.

What Can Homeowners Do to Reduce Solicitation?

Some local laws specify where residents should put a no solicitation sign.

Hurricane, Utah’s ordinance says residents can display the notice on or near the main entrance or near the property line beside the walkway to the home. The responsibility is on solicitors to check for a sign before contacting the resident.

Homeowners who want the clearest notice should put the sign where visitors can easily see it and check their city or county code for any specific wording or placement requirements.

Some local governments offer another option beyond a sign. Nashville maintains a No Solicitation List, sometimes called a no-knock list, that commercial solicitors must check before approaching homes.

For unwanted phone sales, homeowners can add a personal home or cell number to the Federal Trade Commission’s National Do Not Call Registry. The registry tells law-abiding telemarketers which numbers not to call, but it doesn’t physically block calls or prevent scammers from making illegal calls.

“Companies can call you if you’ve recently done business with them, or if you’ve given them written permission to call,” according to the National Do Not Call Registry’s FAQ page. “But if you ask them not to call you, they have to stop. Be sure to write down the date you asked them to stop.”