Do ‘No Soliciting’ Signs Actually Work in Washington?

I used to live out in the rural area of the Yakima Valley (Central Washington).

My house was in the middle of orchards where my nearest neighbor was the beady-eyed squirrel.

I never had any real issue with people swinging by at random, trying to sell stuff.

Ever since I moved into the city, it has been a problem.

At least 3 times a month, someone would ring my doorbell and offer to sell me something.

Home security systems, magazine subscriptions, heating insulation, yard care, religion expertise, and yes, one time, I had a door-to-door vacuum salesman.

Getting frustrated and annoyed by all of this, not to mention the risk of fraud or people possibly wanting to check out your home for future nefariousness, I decided to take action.

I bought two “No Soliciting” signs (above & below). Have they worked?

Do ‘No Soliciting’ Signs Actually Work?

Yeah, they have. For the most part, the signs have worked great.

I have had a couple of times where people have come up and not seen the sign till they were halfway through their sales pitch, realized their error, apologized, and left.

Once, a schoolgirl was selling stuff for a fundraiser, and I just assumed she couldn’t read.

Besides those (now) rare occurrences, the signs do work.

When it comes to the legal aspects of no soliciting signs, it really depends on your local laws.

Religious groups have argued that they’re not selling anything, only trying to encourage, and political door knockers (I assume) are convinced that the request is not meant for them.

That is what the sign is: a request.

Giphy.com

But once you ask someone to leave your property, if they refuse, then that does turn into a situation where law enforcement can be brought it.

Thankfully, most solicitors won’t let things escalate that far.

Do you have one of these signs, or do you plan to get one? If you do have one, do they work for you like they have me? Tap the App and share your story.

Get our free mobile app