Solicitors

The Village of Richton Park frequently receives inquiries regarding persons going door to door and soliciting. Please review the following information about our solicitation guidelines and some suggestions for interacting with solicitors.

Solicitors within the Village of Richton Park must apply for and be approved for a permit to solicit in the Village.

Per Village Ordinance, solicitors must adhere to the following guidelines and rules regulating door-to-door solicitation:

  • No Soliciting prior to 9:00am in the morning or after sunset
  • No Soliciting on Saturdays or Sundays
  • Must carry and display their permit while they are soliciting
  • Solicitors are to respect our residents by being courteous and not to pressure anyone into a contract sale
  • If a solicitor does not display and cannot produce a permit, they may not be licensed to solicit within Richton Park and may be reported to the Richton Park Police Department by calling 708.283.6393

Pushy, Rude, or Aggressive Solicitors


Beyond the restrictions listed above, the Village of Richton Park does not directly regulate demeanor of individual solicitors. Remember however, that as a homeowner or occupant you may at any time ask a solicitor to leave your property. Every resident has the right to feel secure in their home, should you feel threatened or unsafe based upon a solicitor’s behavior, contact the Police immediately at 708.283.6393. The Village encourages residents having complaints about aggressive or deceptive practices of a business to file a consumer complaint with the Illinois Attorney General’s Office at 800-243-0618 or online .

Alternative Energy Suppliers (Aggregation Solicitors)


Residents should specifically be aware of door to door energy supplier sales and solicitations. Residents should be aware that the Village of Richton Park does not send people door to door to register residents for the supply of alternate energy.

The Village encourages residents who wish to sign up with their own energy provider to initiate first contact with the provider after comparing all rates and options. When evaluating energy suppliers, residents are encouraged to visit the Illinois Commerce Commission’s complaint scorecard  which tracks and compares the rate of complaints against retail electric suppliers energy providers.

Residents who encounter a pushy, rude, or aggressive aggregation solicitors are urged to contact the Illinois Commerce Commission Consumer Services Division which regulates energy retailers by phone at 800-524-0795 or online .

Guarding Your Personal Information


Residents should never compromise their security by providing a solicitor with utility account information unless they intend to enroll in an alternate energy program of their own choosing. The Village recommends that residents carefully protect their account information and energy billing information from solicitors and all other non-account holders.

How to Prevent Solicitors At Your Home


Prominently display a no soliciting notice on or near the main entrance by way of a sign measuring at least 3” x 4” in size. No soliciting notices should read in letters at least 1/3” in height “No Solicitors Invited” or comparable language.

It is illegal in the Village of Richton Park to solicit at a location where proper "No Soliciting" signage has been posted. With or without a sign, residents should not ever be afraid to exercise boundaries with solicitors by refusing to answer their door or by politely stating ‘no thank you’ or ‘not interested’ and shutting and locking their door.

Constitutional Rights of Solicitors


The First amendment and the U.S. Constitution protect the rights of door-to-door solicitors and preclude the ability of a community to ban door-to-door sales. The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld free speech for commercial purposes and the Town’s ability to restrict commercial door-to-door solicitation is limited to local regulations restricting the time, place and manner of door-to-door solicitations. Homeowners and occupants, however, do have the ultimate right to determine whether solicitors shall or shall not be invited to their residences or property.