Can a city or town enact a “Green River ordinance” banning all door to door solicitation?
The term “Green River Ordinance” refers to ordinances that prohibit door-to-door peddling or solicitation without distinguishing between commercial and noncommercial endeavors. The name comes from Ordinance No. 175, adopted by the Town of Green River, Wyoming, in 1931. These types of ordinances have been ruled unconstitutional when they prohibit religious or noncommercial door-to-door solicitation. The U.S. Supreme Court, on June 17, 2002, invalidated a Stratton, Ohio, ordinance that required canvassers to register and obtain a permit from the mayor’s office before going door-to-door promoting any cause (Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York, Inc. v. Village of Stratton, 00-1737). The Court held that the ordinance violated the First Amendment as it applied to religious proselytizing, anonymous political speech, and the distribution of handbills. In 2000, the ACLU filed a federal suit and successfully challenged an overbroad Medina ordinance regulating solicitors – see “Medina To
