St. Louis County wants to ban soliciting from vehicles in traffic, at bus stops, on interstate ramps, within 15 feet of banks and ATMs, between sunset and 9 a.m., and during inclement weather. The measure would also outlaw what it defines as "aggressive" panhandling: unwanted physical contact, following someone in a threatening manner, blocking passage, or using obscene language.

Councilman Mike Archer introduced Bill No. 105 at a special Committee of the Whole meeting Tuesday, July 14, in Clayton. It is the county's third attempt to regulate panhandling since 2021, and Archer says he expects to be sued over it. The bill is modeled after similar ordinances already on the books in Ballwin, Manchester, and other west county municipalities. If it passes, it would extend restrictions to unincorporated areas and county roads where those municipal laws don't apply.

A $288,000 lesson

The county's last panhandling laws cost taxpayers nearly $300,000.

In 2021, U.S. District Judge Stephen Limbaugh Jr. ruled those ordinances unconstitutional, finding that county police had cited Robert Fernandez 64 times and arrested him four times for what amounted to protected First Amendment speech. The county paid Fernandez $150,000 plus more than $138,000 in attorneys' fees.

Limbaugh struck down three ordinances: an anti-vagrancy law, one barring people from standing in a road to solicit, and a solicitor licensing requirement. All three violated First and 14th Amendment rights, the judge found.

In 2023, the County Council tried a different approach, passing a measure framed as a roadway-safety ordinance rather than a panhandling ban. County Executive Sam Page vetoed it. The council lacked the votes to override.

Archer's case

Archer formally introduced the new bill on July 14 after reviving discussions in 2025 over its language, penalties, and enforcement.

"It's dangerous for the people that are soliciting the funds, it's dangerous for the motorists," Archer said. "We have enough distractions of our drivers with their cell phones, with the radio, with talking on the phone and now you got somebody else trying to distract them, seeking money."

He acknowledged the county will likely face a legal challenge if the bill passes, because courts have recognized panhandling as protected speech. The bill includes a severability clause and language stating it shall be held inapplicable where its application would be unconstitutional.

Archer said the county lacks money for social services and would rely on nonprofits to provide resources to people found camping and panhandling.

'Not even allowed to be on the curb'

Sydwell Hajicek, who runs Lifeline Aid Group, an organization advocating for unhoused individuals in the St. Louis area, said the bill could be weaponized against people in desperate circumstances.

"There are maybe people who have really not eaten for days who are just trying to panhandle enough for a ham sandwich or a glass of cold water," Hajicek said.

Hajicek argued the measure could pit an average person's word against a homeless person's word, and said nonprofits would be "very unhappy" with Archer's plan to offload social services onto them.

What happens next

The July 14 meeting was the first public discussion of the proposal. Several procedural steps remain before a full council vote, and no date has been set. Committee Chair Rita Heard Days presided over the session; Councilman Dennis Hancock, who is also the Republican nominee for county executive, sits on the same committee.

The August 4 Democratic primary will choose a nominee to succeed Page, who is not seeking reelection. County Assessor Jake Zimmerman, former state Sen. Brian Williams, and state Sen. Angela Walton Mosley are competing for the Democratic nomination. The winner faces Hancock and Green Party candidate J.D. McFarland in November.

Neither leading Democratic candidate has stated a position on the panhandling bill. The next county executive will decide whether to sign or veto it.