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Mr. Welsch and Mr. Talbot <br />June 20, 2003 <br />Page 3 <br />government must directly advance a substantial governmental interest in a way that is not more <br />extensive than necessary.' That analysis would apply to door -to -door sales. <br />In looking at this issue, we found a case on point. In Project 0 s, Inc. v. City of <br />Pocatello,, 942 F. 2d 63 (9" ir. 199 1), the Court of Appeals reviewed an ordinance similar to <br />the City p s current ordinance and found it unconstitutional.2 There, the cities asserted that the <br />governmental interest was in protecting the privacy and repose of its citizens in their homes, the <br />protection of consumers, the regulation of commercial transactions and the prevention of crime. <br />These are often the reasons given to justify such regulations, and can be termed the traditional- <br />justifications. The Court accepted privacy, prevention of crime and consumer protection as <br />substantial state interests. However, in rejecting the ordinance, that Court found that the <br />ordinance was not narrowly tailored to protect the government's interest. Narrowly tailored <br />regulations are those in which the scope is reasonably drawn to achieve the government's <br />interest. Regulations that disregard far less restrictive and more precise means are not <br />g P <br />narrowly tailored. 4 <br />So. for instance, in the discussion undertaken by the Project 80 s case, the court <br />suggested privacy interests are protected by limiting the reach of are ordinance to those <br />situations where a resident has indicated that solicitors are uninvited. Fanning all solicitors <br />from areas where people may not object to solicitation is broader than necessary. The Project <br />80's court also noted that there was little evidence that the ordinances protected residences <br />from crime-, as the ordinances did not prohibit strangers from approaching the residences or <br />from corning to the doorsteps to leave handbills. The Project 80's court, citing a number of <br />decisions, noted that the interests the municipalities said it sought to serve -might be better <br />accomplished by "'far less restrictive and more precise means." Privacy may be better served <br />by prohibiting solicitation at households that have posted a sign or listed themselves in a <br />registry. Crime could be regulated by licensing, registration, and the normal enforcement that <br />goes along with that. Consumer protection might be served by providing for a period of free <br />rescission of sales. In pointing out things such as this, the Project 80's court, like supreme <br />court decisions, points out that restrictions which disregard far less restrictive and more precise <br />means are not "narrowly tailored." <br />I Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. v. Public Service Commn, 447 U.S. 557, 566 (1980). <br />2 The language of that ordinance, was: <br />UNINVITED PEDDLERS PROHIBITED: The practice of going in and upon private residences in the Municipality by <br />sohcitQrs, peddlers, hawkers, itinerant merchants or transient vendors of merchandise, not having been requested or invited <br />to do so by the owner or occupant of said private premises, for the purpose of soliciting orders for the sale of goods, wares <br />and merchandise and/or disposing of and/or peddling or hawking the same is hereby prohibited and punishable udder the <br />rovisions of this Code <br />Board of Tutees of State University of New York v. Fox, 492 U.S. 469, 480 ( 1989). <br />Project 80 "s, 942 F.2d at 638. <br />