Commissioners eye tougher rules on neighborhood soliciting, dumpsters

By Conor Shine

Tuesday, June 16, 2015 | 6:15 p.m.

Clark County commissioners are considering new rules meant to curb a pair of neighborhood nuisances — door-to-door solicitors and garbage dumpsters in streets.

The commissioners heard separate proposals about both issues at their meeting today and gave staff the go-ahead to begin developing formal ordinances that could eventually be adopted into law.

The door-to-door soliciting changes were put forward by Commissioner Susan Brager, who said there have been problems with people wandering through new communities being built in her district.

"This would help with people that are just walking around neighborhoods," Brager said. "This would be a way to address who's out there and why they're out there."

The county already has laws requiring magazine salespeople, vacuum repairmen and other solicitors to acquire a business license before knocking on doors.

The new rules would allow communities or private residences to put up legally enforceable "No Solicitation" warnings on their properties. Solicitors who violate the prohibition could be subject to a misdemeanor citation punishable by a $1,000 fine or up to six months in jail.

The new rules would also require solicitors to carry identification bearing the name of the business they work for and limit hours of solicitation to between 9 a.m. and dusk.

While the rules wouldn't stamp out all unwanted solicitation, it would give residents and homeowners associations another tool to keep them out and engage Metro Police if needed.

"You have people that door ring and they're looking for empty houses to break into," Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani said.

The second neighborhood issue considered by the county today dealt with dumpsters on residential properties that encroach dangerously on roadways.

Current law forbids any dumpsters or other trash container from being placed in the front yard or in front of a property. But the rules can be difficult to enforce, and many residents, especially those in rural parts of the county, place the dumpsters in front of their houses near the road because there's no other space to put them.

This can pose a hazard for motorists or bicyclists driving on those roads, especially at night when the dumpsters are hard to see.

The proposed changes would allow dumpsters to be put in the right of way for roadways as long as the road is unimproved and doesn't have curbs or gutters, a set-up typically found in outlying areas. The dumpsters would have to be placed at least 12 feet from paved roads and marked with reflective tape. Dumpster rentals would also be restricted to only large lots, although the exact size specifications haven't been decided yet.

The changes would also affect more typical homeowners in the valley by allowing them to put their smaller garbage receptacles anywhere they'd like on their property. Currently, trash cans must be placed in a garage or behind a home, except on collection days.

The change would give homeowners with limited space more flexibility on where to put their trash cans, although homeowners associations could still add in more stringent requirements.