Published in the July 20, 2018 edition

By MARK SARDELLA

WAKEFIELD — The Town Council has modified local regulations governing hawkers and peddlers by removing the requirement that they move on a regular basis. The requirement that they move every few hours was deemed impractical and difficult for police to enforce.

In 2013, in response to a proliferation of roadside vendors, the Board of Selectmen amended the regulations as follows: “Hawkers and peddlers must move from place to place in the exercise of their license. They may stop from time to time to do business, but never for more than two hours, and on any given day they may not stop within one hundred feet of any location at which they had previously stopped on such day.”

Town Counsel Thomas Mullen told the board that it was “not necessary to have that kind of requirement. Most towns don’t.”

That language has now been removed from the bylaw, after the Town Council voted to do so this week.

Other regulations still apply to hawkers and peddlers in Wakefield. 

The regulation defines a hawker and peddler as “anyone who sells merchandise by going either from town to town or from place to place in the same town, either on foot, or by means of any animal or vehicle.” No hawker or peddler has a right to a specific location.

Unless the hawker or peddler has obtained a State license, a Town license from the Town Administrator’s Office must be obtained. Such license expires annually on Dec. 31. The fee for this license is $50 for the principal holder. The fee for licenses for the employees of the principal license holder is twenty-five dollars $25 each. (Hawkers and peddlers with a State license must still register their name and license number with the Town Administrator’s Office.)

Hawkers and peddlers selling food must have a permit from the Board of Health.

There are also rules governing where hawkers and peddlers may or may not conduct business.

Peddling is prohibited in the Central Business District. The Central Business District is defined as foIlows: Main Street between Charles Street and Crescent Street and Main Street between Forest Street and the MeIrose City line; North Avenue between Main Street and Church Smt; Tuttle Street; Albion Street between Main Street and Lake Street; and Water Street between Main Street and Preston Street.

Hawkers and peddlers may not obstruct vehicular or pedestrian traffic and they may not stay in any one place indefinitely.

The complete regulations regarding hawkers and peddlers are in Chapter 210 of the Wakefield Code.

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In other business this week, the Town Council:

Approved a request from Council on Aging Director Judy Luciano to accept and expend gifts in the amount of $9,825 from various donors.

Approved a request from Beebe Library Director Catherine McDonald to accept and expend 2,067.71 in gifts from various donors.

Appointed Peter J. Solomon as the Republican Town Registrar of Voters, replacing outgoing Registrar Peter Vitale.