Who’s knocking on your door? Belleville publishes list of 41 licensed solicitors
Summer is the season for soliciting in Belleville.
Companies selling everything from solar systems to storm windows, educational books to pest control, hire college students and others to go door to door and drum up business.
It’s a legal activity, but there are rules. Officials say now is a good time to remind residents of them.
“Solicitors are only allowed to go to houses where (residents are) not on the ‘no-knock’ list, or they don’t have a ‘No Soliciting’ sign,” Ward 7 Alderman Phil Elmore said.
About 750 addresses are now on the no-knock list. In addition, solicitors must obtain city licenses.
Elmore has encouraged people to report violations of the city ordinance on soliciting by calling the nonemergency number for the Belleville Police Department, which can issue citations.
“It’s a security issue,” he said.
City Clerk Shelly Schaefer, who maintains the no-knock list and oversees the licensing process, agrees. She said some residents, particularly senior citizens, don’t feel safe opening their doors to strangers.
Some companies are too aggressive in their soliciting, according to Elmore. He’s heard of employees returning to houses a second time after residents already have told other employees “No, thanks.”
The application process for solicitor licenses requires employees to present driver’s licenses, submit to criminal-background checks and obtain $1,000 surety bonds to ensure adherence to city policy.
Two years ago, Elmore got so fed up with solicitors that he recommended that the license fee be raised to $300 per employee per year from $100. The City Council compromised at $200.
“It’s not cheap,” Schaefer said.
Belleville has issued 41 solicitor licenses for the year ending April 30, 2027. All but one list out-of-state addresses.
The exception is Jacobs Family Enterprises in Fairview Heights. It specializes in windows and bath remodeling and also installs sunrooms, roofs, gutters, fences, decks and siding.
Owners Beth and Scott Jacobs have one employee who “canvases” neighborhoods. She said the main goal is to encourage people to do business with local companies and remind them that Jacobs is a reputable company that’s been operating for 49 years.
“We have much success with canvassing,” she said.
“We go door to door with a very soft approach. We’ll say, ‘Hey, we’re in your area. Here are the services we offer. If we can help, we hope you’ll give us the opportunity.’”
Jacobs said she knows of homeowners getting scammed on repairs or remodeling, particularly after big storms, by out-of-state companies that weren’t properly vetted.
Here are the other companies on Belleville’s solicitor list:
- Moxie Pest Control, of Bridgeton, Missouri, which has five licensed employees.
- Mad City Windows & Baths, of St. Charles, Missouri, which has four licensed employees.
- Spartan Solar, of Winter Park, Florida, which has five licensed employees.
- Smart Home Pros, Inc./Vivint Security, of Lehi, Utah, which has one licensed employee.
- Southwestern Advantage, of Nashville, Tennessee (educational books), which has two licensed employees.
- Aptive Environmental, of West Provo, Utah (pest control), which has 18 licensed employees.
- Complete Solar, doing business as SunPower Corp., of Orem, Utah, which has five licensed employees.
Local residents can go to the city’s website to request that their addresses be added to the no-knock list. Officials recently posted a notice about it on the Welcome to Belleville Facebook page.
“We had 600 people sign up in four days,” Schaefer said.
The clerk’s office now is going through the requests to determine which addresses are new and which are already on the no-knock list. It’s not necessary to sign up every year.
The U.S. Supreme Court has stuck down local laws prohibiting people from knocking on doors for religious, political, charitable or commercial purposes, citing the First Amendment, which protects freedom of speech.
But the court has recognized a “municipality’s power to protect citizens from crime and undue annoyance by regulating soliciting and canvassing.”
This story was originally published June 10, 2026 at 5:30 AM.
