Greensboro, NC -- The City Council approved several changes to Greensboro's panhandling ordinance in Tuesday night's meeting.
Earlier this year, Councilwoman Nancy Vaughan met with citizens and law enforcement to discuss concerns over panhandlers in the city. The city then researched and came up with several possible changes to the current ordinance in August.
The amended panhandling ordinance would:
- Only allow panhandling on sidewalks,
- Prohibit panhandling on medians, curbs, shoulders, and in crosswalks or roadways,
- Prohibit panhandling within 1,000 feet of any U.S. Highway or Interstate entrance or exit ramp,
- Increase the legal panhandling distance from 20 to 100 feet from banks, financial buildings, ATMs and check-cashing or loan offices,
- Prohibit panhandling while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and
- Increase the period of time the city could deny a license to an offender who committed a violent crime based on the severity of that crime.
The new ordinance will go into effect immediately.
Greensboro City Council