Peddler, Itinerant Merchants and Solicitors Requirements

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

Peddlers, itinerant merchants and solicitors MUST apply for and be approved for a permit to solicit in the Village of Mackinaw.

1-day permit -- $100.00 per person (nonrefundable), fee.

The fee must be paid in order to get a background check. A two-week notice must be given so that background checks can be conducted on each peddler, itinerant merchants and solicitors by the police department.  

If any complaints are received the permit will be revoked and the peddler, itinerant merchant or solicitor will be asked to leave.

If you have any questions regarding peddler, itinerant merchant or solicitor requirements or active permits please feel free to call the Village office at (309) 359-5821 or Tazewell County Non-Emergency Dispatch after normal business hours at (309) 346-4141.

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

• No Soliciting prior to 9:00 a.m. in the morning or after 7:00 p.m. in the evening, Monday through Saturday
• No Soliciting on Sundays or any state or national holidays.
• MUST carry and display their permit while they are soliciting. Every person in the company MUST have a permit.
• Solicitors are to respect our residents by being courteous and not to pressure any into a contract sale
• Solicitors MUST immediately leave any residence that displays a “No Soliciting” or “No Solicitors” posting
• Solicitors MUST leave a premises immediately and peacefully when requested to do so by the occupant
• If a solicitor does not display and cannot produce a permit, they may not be licensed to solicit within Mackinaw and may be reported to the Mackinaw Police Department by calling (309) 346-4141

Pushy, rude or aggressive solicitors

Beyond the restrictions listed above, the Village of Mackinaw does not directly regulate the 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 (309) 346-4141. 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 https://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/

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 Mackinaw DOES NOT send people door to door to register residents for 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 (https://plugin.illinois.gov/consumer-protections/customer-complaint-statistics.html) 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 regulated energy retailers by phone at 800-524-0795 or online at https://www.icc.illinois.gov/complaints/ you may also call the Mackinaw Police Department at (309) 346-4141 to file a complaint.

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 Solicitors” notice on or near the main entrance by way of a sign measuring at least 3” x 4” in size. These notices are available at the Village office for free to in-town residents.

 It is illegal in the Village of Mackinaw to solicit at a location where proper “No Solicitors” 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 the 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 Village’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.