• Current through October 23, 2012

(a) No person shall solicit in the District of Columbia unless he holds a valid certificate of registration authorizing such solicitation.

(b) The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to any person making solicitations, including solicitations for educational purposes, solely for a church or a religious corporation or a corporation or an unincorporated association under the supervision and control of any such church or religious corporation; provided, that such church, religious corporation, corporation, or unincorporated association is an organization which has been granted exemption from taxation under the provisions of § 501 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. § 501); provided further, that such exemption from the provisions of this chapter shall be in effect only so long as such church, religious corporation, corporation, or unincorporated association shall be exempt from taxation under the provisions of § 501 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

(c) The provisions of subsection (a) of this section and §§ 44-1704, 44- 1705, 44-1706, and 44-1708 shall not apply to any person making solicitations:

(1) Solely for the American National Red Cross; or

(2) Exclusively among the membership of the soliciting agency.

(d) The Council of the District of Columbia may by regulation prescribe the terms and conditions under which solicitations in addition to those enumerated in subsection (b) of this section may be exempted from the provisions of subsection (a) of this section and §§ 44-1705 and 44-1706; provided, that no exemption granted under authority of this subsection shall exceed for any calendar year $1,500 in money or property.

(July 10, 1957, 71 Stat. 279, Pub. L. 85-87, § 4.)

HISTORICAL AND STATUTORY NOTES

Prior Codifications

1981 Ed., § 2-703.

1973 Ed., § 2-2103.

Change in Government

This section originated at a time when local government powers were delegated to a Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia (see Acts Relating to the Establishment of the District of Columbia and its Various Forms of Governmental Organization in Volume 1). Section 402(75) of Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1967 (see Reorganization Plans in Volume 1) transferred all of the functions of the Board of Commissioners under this section to the District of Columbia Council, subject to the right of the Commissioner as provided in § 406 of the Plan. The District of Columbia Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act, 87 Stat. 818, § 711 (D.C. Code, § 1-207.11), abolished the District of Columbia Council and the Office of Commissioner of the District of Columbia. These branches of government were replaced by the Council of the District of Columbia and the Office of Mayor of the District of Columbia, respectively. Accordingly, and also pursuant to § 714(a) of such Act (D.C. Code, § 1-207.14(a)), appropriate changes in terminology were made in this section.