Thank you for the calm lucid rational answer from someone who's been there, done that. I, also, have had experiences all over this land. I just get aggravated when I try to bring them here, and some want to attack even the premise.
It's like, if they've never seen the Statue of Liberty, they swear it cannot exist.
Wikipedia on Green River Ordinance:
The name Green River Ordinance is given to a common American city ordinance prohibiting door-to-door solicitation. Under such an ordinance, it is illegal for any business to sell their items door-to-door without express permission from the household beforehand. Some versions prohibit all organizations, including non-profit charitable, political, and religious groups, from soliciting or canvassing any household that makes it clear, in writing, that it does not want such solicitations (generally with a "No Trespassing" or "No Solicitations" sign posted.)
The ordinance is named for the city of Green River, Wyoming, the first city to enact it.
The ordinance has been brought before the Supreme Court for challenge in several times. While the court has upheld these ordinances when they prohibit intrastate commerce (seeing the issue as a state's rights issue), more recent decisions suggest that a total ban on door to door soliciting would be found unconstitutional and unenforceable on the grounds of religious free speech and commercial free speech when the ordinances ban religious or interstate solicitations.
So, therefore, if the person who was solicited for the driveway work lived in a town where the Green River Ordinance was in effect, all they had to do was call the police, and they would have taken care of the whole (eventual) mess. Or, the town may have had their OWN ordinance. Like a fellow said, all the town is interested in is getting their cut. For some small towns, their radar guns and enforcement of local laws on tourists, outsiders and the uninformed brings in revenues.
Steve