[HISTORY: Adopted by the Village Board of the Village of Sauk City
as Chs. 9.08, 9.10 and 12.09 of the 1970 Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Flea markets and garage sales — See Ch. 174.
It shall be unlawful for any direct seller to engage in direct sales
within the Village without being registered for that purpose.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings
indicated:
The Village Administrator.
Includes any benevolent, philanthropic, patriotic or eleemosynary
person, partnership, association or corporation or one purporting to be such.
Any individual who, for himself/herself, or for a partnership, association
or corporation, sells goods, or takes sales orders for later delivery of goods,
at any location other than the permanent business place or residence of said
individual, partnership, association or corporation, and shall include, but
not be limited to, peddlers, solicitors and transient merchants. The sale
of goods includes donations required by the direct seller for the retention
of goods by a donor or prospective customer.
Includes personal property of any kind and shall include goods provided
incidental to services offered or sold.
A direct seller who, for at least one year prior to the consideration
of the application of this chapter to said merchant, has continuously operated
an established place of business in this Village or has continuously resided
in this Village and now does business from his/her residence.
The following shall be exempt from all provisions of this chapter:
A.
Any person delivering newspapers, fuel, dairy products
or bakery goods to regular customers on established routes.
B.
Any person selling goods at wholesale to dealers in such
goods.
C.
Any person selling agricultural products which such person
has grown.
D.
Any permanent merchant or employee thereof who takes
orders away from the established place of business for goods regularly offered
for sale by such merchant within this county and who delivers such goods in
his regular course of business.
E.
Any person who has an established place of business where
the goods being sold are offered for sale on a regular basis and in which
the buyer has initiated contact with, and specifically requested a home visit
by, such person.
F.
Any person who has had, or one who represents a company
which has had, a prior business transaction, such as a prior sale or credit
arrangement, with the prospective customer.
G.
Any person selling or offering for sale a service unconnected
with the sale or offering for sale of goods.
H.
Any person holding a sale required by statute or by order
of any court and any person conducting a bona fide auction sale pursuant to
law.
I.
Any employee, officer or agent of a charitable organization
who engages in direct sales for or on behalf of said organization, provided
that there is submitted to the Administrator proof that such charitable organization
is registered under § 440.42, Wis. Stats. Any charitable organization
not registered under § 440.42, Wis. Stats., or which is exempt from
the statute's registration requirements shall be required to register under
this chapter.
J.
Any person who claims to be a permanent merchant but
against whom complaint has been made to the Administrator that such person
is a transient merchant, provided that there is submitted to the Administrator
proof that such person has leased for at least one year, or purchased, the
premises from which he/she is conducting business or proof that such person
has conducted such business in this Village for at least one year prior to
the date complaint was made.
A.
Applicants for registration must complete and return
to the Administrator a registration form furnished by the Administrator which
shall require the following information:
(1)
Name, permanent address and telephone number, and temporary
address, if any.
(2)
Age, height, weight, and color of hair and eyes.
(3)
Name, address and telephone number of the person, firm,
association or corporation that the direct seller represents or is employed
by or whose merchandise is being sold.
(4)
Temporary address and telephone number from which business
will be conducted, if any.
(5)
Nature of business to be conducted and a brief description
of the goods offered and any services offered.
(6)
Proposed method of delivery of goods, if applicable.
(7)
Make, model and license number of any vehicle to be used
by the applicant in the conduct of his/her business.
(8)
Last cities, villages, and towns, not to exceed three,
where the applicant conducted similar business.
(9)
Place where the applicant can be contacted for at least
seven days after leaving this Village.
(10)
Statement as to whether the applicant has been convicted
of any crime or ordinance violation related to the applicant's transient merchant
business within the past five years, the nature of the offense and the place
of conviction.
B.
Applicants shall present to the Administrator for examination:
(1)
A driver's license or some reasonable proof of identity.
(2)
A state certificate of examination and approval from
the Sealer of Weights and Measures where the applicant's business requires
use of weighing and measuring devices approved by state authorities.
(3)
A State Health Officer's certificate where the applicant's
business involves handling of food or clothing and is required to be certified
under state law, such certificate to state that the applicant is apparently
free from any contagious or infectious disease, dated not more than 90 days
prior to the date the application for license is made.
C.
At the time the registration is returned, a fee as set
by the Village Board shall be paid to the Administrator to cover the cost
of processing said registration.
D.
The applicant shall sign a statement appointing the Administrator
as his/her agent to accept service of process in any civil action brought
against the applicant arising out of any sale or service performed
by the applicant in connection with the direct sales activities of the applicant,
in the event the applicant cannot be served personally.
A.
Upon receipt of each application, the Administrator may
refer it immediately to the Chief of Police who may make and complete an investigation
of the statements made in such registration.
B.
The Administrator shall refuse to register the applicant if it is determined pursuant to the investigation above that the application contains any material omission or materially inaccurate statement, complaints of a material nature have been received against the applicant by authorities in the last cities, villages, and towns, not exceeding three, in which the applicant conducted similar business, the applicant was convicted of a crime, statutory violation or ordinance violation within the last five years, the nature of which is directly related to the applicant's fitness to engage in direct selling, or the applicant failed to comply with any applicable provision of § 146-4 above.
Any person denied registration may appeal the denial through the appeal
procedure provided by ordinance or resolution of the Village Board or, if
none has been adopted, through the provisions of §§ 68.01 through
68.16, Wis. Stats.
A.
Prohibited practices.
(1)
A direct seller shall be prohibited from calling at any
dwelling or other place between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. except
by appointment, calling at any dwelling or other place where a sign is displayed
bearing the words "No Peddlers," "No Solicitors," or words of similar meaning,
calling at the rear door of any dwelling, or remaining on any premises after
being asked to leave by the person in charge of the premises.
(2)
A direct seller shall not misrepresent or make false,
deceptive or misleading statements concerning the quality, quantity or character
of any goods offered for sale, the purpose of his/her visit, his/her identity
or the identity of the organization he/she represents. A charitable organization
direct seller shall specifically disclose what portion of the sale price of
goods being offered will actually be used for the charitable purpose for which
the organization is soliciting. Said portion shall be expressed as a percentage
of the sale price of the goods.
(3)
No direct seller shall impede the free use of sidewalks
and streets by pedestrians and vehicles. Where sales are made from vehicles,
all traffic and parking regulations shall be observed.
(4)
No direct seller shall make any loud noises or use any
sound-amplifying device to attract customers if the noise produced is capable
of being plainly heard outside a one-hundred-foot radius of the source.
(5)
No direct seller shall allow rubbish or litter to accumulate
in or around the area in which he/she is conducting business.
B.
Disclosure requirements.
(1)
After the initial greeting, and before any other statement
is made to a prospective customer, a direct seller shall expressly disclose
his/her name, the name of the company or organization he/she is affiliated
with, if any, and the identity of goods or services he/she offers to sell.
(2)
If any sale of goods is made by a direct seller, or any
sales order for the later delivery of goods is taken by the seller, the buyer
shall have the right to cancel said transaction if it involves the extension
of credit or is a cash transaction of more than $25, in accordance with the
procedure as set forth in § 423.203, Wis. Stats. The seller shall
give the buyer two copies of a typed or printed notice of that fact. Such
notice shall conform to the requirements of § 423.203(1)(a), (b)
and (c), (2) and (3), Wis. Stats.
(3)
If the direct seller takes a sales order for the later
delivery of goods, he/she shall, at the time the order is taken, provide the
buyer with a written statement containing the terms of the agreement, the
amount paid in advance, whether full, partial or no advance payment is made,
the name, address and telephone number of the seller, the delivery or performance
date and whether a guarantee or warranty is provided and, if so, the terms
thereof.
The Chief of Police shall report to the Administrator all convictions
for the violation of this chapter, and the Administrator shall note any such
violation on the record of the registrant convicted.
A.
Registration may be revoked by the Village Board, after
notice and hearing, if the registrant made any material omission or materially
inaccurate statement in the application for registration, made any fraudulent,
false, deceptive or misleading statement or representation in the course of
engaging in direct sales, violated any provision of this chapter or was convicted
of any crime or ordinance or statutory violation which is directly related
to the registrant's fitness to engage in direct selling.
B.
Written notice of the hearing shall be served personally
on the registrant at least 72 hours prior to the time set for the hearing;
such notice shall contain the time and place of hearing and a statement of
the acts upon which the hearing will be based.
A.
Registration required. It shall be unlawful for any direct seller
to engage in direct sales upon municipally owned property without being registered
for that purpose.
B.
DIRECT SELLER
GOODS
MUNICIPALLY OWNED PROPERTY
Definitions. As used in this section, the following terms shall
have the meaning indicated:
As defined in § 146-2 of this chapter and shall include, but not be limited to, peddlers, solicitors, transient merchants and produce vendors.
As defined in § 146-2 of this chapter.
Includes any and all property owned by the municipality for any purpose,
including but not limited to parks, streets, parking lots, easements, accessways,
and buildings.
C.
Registration; fee.
(2)
At the time the registration is returned, a fee as set by the
Village Board shall be paid to the Village Administrator to cover the cost
of processing such registration.
(3)
Upon payment of said fee and the signing of said statement, the
Village Administrator shall place on the agenda for the next applicable Village
Board meeting the application for approval or denial by the full Village Board.
In the event the Village Board approves the application, the Village Administrator
shall register the applicant. Such registration shall be valid for a period
of three months from the date of issuance.
