Moratorium on door-to-door sales extended

GAINESVILLE - Door-to-door salespeople in Hall County are out of luck. A moratorium on door-to-door sales has been extended for one year (until next August)... and licenses which expire the end of the year will not be renewed for next year.

The moratorium was enacted in February for six months by the county commission in response to numerous complaints about such sales while a review of the current rules and regulations took place and the ordinance governing door-to-door sales was revised.

But, county officials say more time is needed to complete new regulations that will include who can go door to door, how many people can go at one time, the specific days and hours that door-to-door sales may occur, among other issues.

Susan Rector, the county's business license director, said Friday many of the complaints involve sales people almost forcing their way into a home, with sometimes five or of six people involved in making a sales pitch, calls being made during the dinner hour or just after people get home from work, etc.

Rector said there are probably more licensed door-to-door salespeople in the county than most people realize. She said there is usually a big uptick in the number following a natural disaster, such as the damaging hail storm that occurred a couple of years ago or the tornadoes that occurred last year.