Commercial Solicitation Prohibited at Posted Properties in Unincorporated King County

Residents in unincorporated King County only need to put up a “no soliciting” to keep unwanted door-to-door solicitation, following unanimous approval of a new regulation today by the Metropolitan King County Council this week. 

The regulation prohibits commercial solicitors from contacting residents who have posted their property with “no trespassing” or “no soliciting” signage. Similar regulations already are in place in many King County cities, but the prohibition now applies to the more than 300,000 residents who live in the county’s unincorporated areas.

Council member Kathy Lambert proposed the regulation after hearing complaints from residents in Redmond Ridge, a master planned development in the unincorporated area. The residents requested regulation of aggressive solicitors such as magazine salesmen who harass neighbors and perpetrate scams. Police reports also have implicated burglars using a phony solicitation ruse to case homes and determine those that are unoccupied.

“I am grateful to our sheriff’s office and our prosecuting attorney’s office for working diligently to research and draft a regulation that strikes a balance between freedom of speech and our residents’ right to peace and security in their own homes,” Lambert said.

The restriction on solicitation does not apply to political, religious or charitable activities by non-profit organizations such as Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, in order to avoid any conflict with First Amendment rights to free speech. Neither does it apply to local farmers who want to offer their produce for sale, because they are specifically exempted by state law. Government agencies such as the Census Bureau and Post Office also are exempt. 

Solicitors who ignore signage and try to contact a resident anyway face a civil infraction with a fine of $100. 

—Information from King County