Monroe warns residents about unpermitted door-to-door pest control solicitors

Monroe officials warned residents after multiple reports of door-to-door pest control solicitation, saying the town had not issued any peddler’s permits for the activity. The June 25 notice, titled Important Reminders Regarding Door-to-Door Solicitation, put the issue squarely in consumer-protection terms: if a solicitor cannot show the proper paperwork, residents do not have to treat the pitch as legitimate.

The town’s guidance says solicitors are supposed to be able to present a permit when asked. It also points residents to the No Knock or No Solicitation Registry, which can be joined by filling out a form at the Town Clerk’s Office. For homeowners who are already on that registry and still get an unwanted knock, the town advised them to get the solicitor’s name and company information and then report the person as trespassing to the appropriate police department.

That enforcement step depends on where the resident lives. Town of Monroe residents were directed to State Police, Village of Monroe residents to Monroe Police, and Village of Harriman residents to Harriman Police. The town’s notice makes clear that the boundary matters: a complaint sent to the wrong office can slow down action while a questionable solicitor is still working the neighborhood.

The town has formalized the issue through its code. The Town Clerk page lists Local Law No. 3 of 2019, which amended Chapter 35 of the Town Code on peddling and soliciting, along with a No Knock Registry form. The town also identifies a Community Concerns Hotline at 845-783-1004 and lists Town Hall at 1465 Orange Turnpike in Monroe, NY 10950.

Monroe has confronted similar pest-control complaints before. A 2022 report said Town Supervisor Tony Cardone said no peddler’s permits had been issued for that solicitation, and a Monroe police report later said residents complained about Terminix Pest Control employees going door-to-door. That report said, “nobody from Terminix currently has a permit to solicit in Monroe,” underscoring how the town has tried to draw a line between licensed canvassing and unapproved sales visits.

The town, incorporated in 1799 and home to the villages of Monroe and Harriman, is using that permit system as a screening tool: check the permit, check the registry, and stop the conversation before payment information or a signed contract enters the picture.