A No Soliciting sign law in Colorado doesn’t exist as its own statute. The sign gets its power from Colorado’s criminal trespass laws: posting it withdraws the implied permission that normally lets a stranger walk up and knock on your door, and a solicitor who ignores it can be treated as a trespasser. That protection has real limits, though, and using the sign well means understanding both what it does and what it can’t stop.
What the Sign Actually Does Under Colorado Law
Colorado’s third-degree criminal trespass statute, C.R.S. 18-4-504, makes it a crime to unlawfully enter or remain on someone else’s premises.1Justia Law. Colorado Code Title 18 Article 4 Part 5 – Section 18-4-504 Under C.R.S. 18-4-201, a person enters or remains unlawfully when they are not licensed, invited, or otherwise privileged to be there.2FindLaw. Colorado Code Title 18 – Section 18-4-201
For most homes there is an implied invitation to walk up the path and knock. A “No Soliciting” sign narrows that invitation. It tells salespeople and canvassers that their particular kind of visit isn’t welcome, which means a solicitor who reads the sign and knocks anyway has arguably given up their privilege to be on your porch.
Why the Sign Alone May Not Be Enough
Colorado’s trespass definitions treat premises open to the public differently from purely private ones. For places open to the public, entry becomes unlawful only when a person “defies a lawful order not to enter or remain, personally communicated to him or her by the owner of the premises or some other authorized person.”2FindLaw. Colorado Code Title 18 – Section 18-4-201 The safer approach at home follows the same logic: treat the sign as your first layer of notice, and if someone ignores it, tell them directly to leave. If they still won’t go, you have a clear trespass that officers can act on without arguing over whether the sign was visible or understood.
Adding “No Trespassing” to your “No Soliciting” sign strengthens your footing, because it signals that all uninvited visitors are unwelcome and not just salespeople.
Penalties When a Solicitor Refuses to Leave
Colorado divides criminal trespass into three degrees, and the seriousness climbs with the trespasser’s conduct.
- Third-degree criminal trespass covers unlawfully entering or remaining on someone’s premises. It’s a petty offense, typically resolved with a fine.1Justia Law. Colorado Code Title 18 Article 4 Part 5 – Section 18-4-504
- Second-degree criminal trespass applies when the premises are fenced or enclosed in a way designed to keep intruders out.3Justia Law. Colorado Code Title 18 Article 4 Part 5 – Section 18-4-503
- First-degree criminal trespass involves knowingly and unlawfully entering someone’s dwelling. It’s a class 1 misdemeanor, and a class 6 felony if the dwelling is occupied.4Justia Law. Colorado Code Title 18 Article 4 Part 5 – Section 18-4-502
A solicitor who ignores your sign and leaves when asked faces third-degree exposure at most. One who refuses to leave, tries to come inside, or returns after being told to stay away moves into the more serious categories. Officers are more likely to issue a citation than make an arrest for a first violation, but that changes fast with repeat visits or aggressive behavior.
Who the Sign Doesn’t Stop
This is the part homeowners most often get wrong. The First Amendment protects a large share of door-to-door activity, and courts have consistently sided with the people knocking. Political canvassers, religious visitors, and charitable fundraisers all carry constitutional protection that overrides a “No Soliciting” sign in most situations.5Congress.gov. Constitution Annotated – Solicitation
In Watchtower Bible & Tract Society v. Village of Stratton, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a local ordinance that required anyone doing door-to-door advocacy to register with the government and get a permit. The Court held that requiring a permit for religious proselytizing, anonymous political speech, and handbill distribution violated the First Amendment.6Legal Information Institute. Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York Inc v Village of Stratton The practical effect: your sign works best against commercial salespeople. If a campaign volunteer, a church visitor, or a charity fundraiser knocks despite the sign, they are likely within their rights simply to knock. You can still ask them to leave, and they must go once you do, but they generally can’t be cited for the knock itself.
Other visitors are outside solicitation rules entirely. Census workers on federal duty, law enforcement officers, fire inspectors, utility workers responding to service issues, and code enforcement officials all have a legal basis to approach your door. Postal carriers and package delivery drivers aren’t soliciting when they come up the walk, and a flyer left with a package usually falls outside solicitation rules too.
One more boundary: if you live in a gated community or an HOA with its own posted solicitation restrictions, those rules operate on private property law rather than the First Amendment, so the HOA can restrict solicitation more broadly than a city can. Someone who bypasses a locked gate or clearly posted community entrance could face second-degree criminal trespass, which covers premises enclosed to exclude intruders.3Justia Law. Colorado Code Title 18 Article 4 Part 5 – Section 18-4-503
City Permits Add a Second Layer
Many Colorado cities require commercial door-to-door salespeople to register and carry a permit or badge while working residential neighborhoods. Aurora, for example, requires anyone going house-to-house selling goods or services to obtain a license and wear a city-issued ID badge at all times while soliciting in residential areas.7City of Aurora. Additional Licensing – Business Licensing Aurora exempts newspaper subscription sellers and charitable organizations, but other solicitors need the badge, and violations can lead to suspension or revocation of the business license.8Aurora Municipal Code. Aurora Code 86-93 – Suspension or Revocation
If someone knocks despite your sign, asking to see their city permit is a fair first step. A legitimate commercial solicitor will produce one. Someone who can’t is likely violating local law regardless of what your sign says, and that’s worth reporting to the city’s licensing office.
Making Your Sign Effective
Posting is the easy part. A few practical choices decide whether the sign actually holds up.
- Placement. Put the sign where a visitor will see it before they knock. Next to the doorbell or on the front gate works best. A sign hidden behind shrubs or mounted low is easy to miss, and a solicitor can credibly claim they never saw it.
- Wording. “No Soliciting” is the standard phrase and widely understood. Pairing it with “No Trespassing” broadens the notice to all uninvited visitors.
- Documentation. If someone ignores the sign, note the time, a description, any company name on clothing or materials, and whether they carried a city permit badge. That information matters when you report.
- Reporting. Call your local non-emergency police line to report a solicitor who ignored the sign and refused to leave. Aurora residents can also file complaints through Access Aurora at 303-739-7000, and most other Colorado cities have similar complaint channels.7City of Aurora. Additional Licensing – Business Licensing
If a specific company keeps sending people despite the sign, a cease-and-desist letter from an attorney formalizes your demand and builds a paper trail useful for a civil trespass claim or a licensing complaint.
If a Solicitor Gets Through and You Buy Something
Federal law gives you a safety net. The FTC’s Cooling-Off Rule lets you cancel most door-to-door purchases of $25 or more within three business days of the sale. Saturday counts as a business day; Sundays and federal holidays do not.9Federal Trade Commission. Buyers Remorse – FTCs Cooling Off Rule May Help
The seller must tell you about your cancellation right at the time of sale and give you two copies of a cancellation form along with a dated contract or receipt showing the seller’s name and address.9Federal Trade Commission. Buyers Remorse – FTCs Cooling Off Rule May Help If the seller skips those disclosures, your cancellation window can extend beyond three days.
Don’t Rely on Make My Day
Colorado’s “Make My Day” law, C.R.S. 18-1-704.5, comes up in conversations about unwanted visitors, but its scope is narrow. The law allows an occupant to use physical force, including deadly force, against someone who has made an unlawful entry into the dwelling, and only when the occupant reasonably believes the intruder has committed or intends to commit a crime beyond the uninvited entry itself, and reasonably believes the intruder might use physical force against someone inside.10Justia Law. Colorado Code Title 18 Article 1 Part 7 – Section 18-1-704.5
A solicitor on your porch doesn’t come close. They haven’t entered the dwelling, they aren’t committing a crime beyond potentially trespassing, and a doorbell isn’t a physical threat. Using force against a solicitor who simply ignored your sign would expose you to criminal charges and civil liability. The correct response is verbal: tell them to leave, close the door, and call the non-emergency police line if they refuse to go.