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Door-to-door solicitation is legal in Bartlesville, but solicitors are required to obtain a temporary permit from the City before knocking on your door — and you have a right to see it.

In a statement, Community Development Director Lisa Beeman said:

"We have received several complaints and inquiries lately from residents about door-to-door solicitation. People want to know if it's legal and what they can do to stop it. The answer to that is that it is legal as long as the company has obtained a temporary permit from the Community Development Department. Residents can ask to see that permit and, if the solicitor can't produce one, the City can take further action at that point, either by suspending the company's permit, if it has one, or requiring that solicitation be stopped."

Additionally, she said, in residential areas, door-to-door soliciting can only occur between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. on any day except Sunday, when the hours are further restricted to noon to 6:00 p.m.

Beeman said another option is to place a sign on the property stating that soliciting is not permitted.

"If a resident has a 'No Solicitors', 'No Soliciting', 'No Trespassing' or similar type sign on their property that can be easily seen by anyone approaching the door, solicitors are prohibited from attempting a sale at that residence," she said.

Be aware, though, that just because a solicitor has been issued a City permit, it is still a "buyer beware" system.