Who’s that knocking at your door? Do they have a permit?

Cranston City Council has amended the city’s hawkers and peddlers’ ordinance to mandate door-to-door solicitors obtain a permit.

Cranston City Councilman Daniel Wall, Council President Jessica Marino and Councilman Robert Ferri introduced the ordinance, which Wall said “would require door-to-door solicitors to obtain a permit from the city and limit the hours which they can solicit.”

Wall said he introduced the ordinance “in response to numerous complaints from constituents.”

The amended ordinance picked up a lot of support from both sides of the aisle, as fellow Democrats Council Vice-President Lammis Vargas and Councilwoman Kristen E. Haroian, as well as Republicans, Nicole Renzulli, Richard D. Campopiano and Christopher G. Paplauskas, all signed on as co-sponsors.

“There’s a lot of people soliciting, going door-to-door, and we have no idea they are,” Wall said.

The amendment was referred to the Ordinance Committee, where it was approved unanimously.

“This has become a public safety issue because they are often ringing people’s doorbells after dark,” Wall said. “Most of these solicitations are from home service companies selling solar panels, roofing and siding, lawn care, and pest control. The number of door-to-door solicitors has increased so fast that it requires this oversite.”

The ordinance will also require door-to-door solicitors obtain a police background check before obtaining the permit.

“Previous convictions involving moral turpitude or consumer fraud would be grounds for denial of the permit,” according to Wall and the city’s law department. “Permit holders would be required to wear photo identification provided by the city and operate only during daylight hours. Violators could face fines of up to $500 per violation.”

Wall and the rest of city council assure residents that “the ordinance would not affect” businesses that “are contacted directly by a resident.”

“Those businesses would be able to respond to a request by a resident without obtaining this permit,” according to a press release circulated by Wall.

Farmers and hucksters will be excepted from the new law.

After obtaining a permit, solicitor hours will be restricted to after 9 a.m. and before 7 p.m. (or sunset, whichever comes earlier), Monday through Saturday (solicitors will be banned from going door-to-door on Sundays or any state or national holidays).

Wall said the law has been signed by Cranston Mayor Kenneth Hopkins and has already gone into effect. The whole idea, he recalled Tuesday morning, was spawned by resident feedback.

“It stemmed from a constituent calling,” Wall recalled. “They said, ‘My neighbor’s 88 years old. People with no identification are knocking on her door after dark, early in the morning.’ We needed to do something about it.”