The two signs get treated as interchangeable, but they do different jobs, apply to different people, and carry different consequences. Choosing the wrong one for your goal is why the sign "doesn't work."
What each sign prohibits
No Soliciting restricts an activity. It tells visitors they may approach the door, but not to sell, fundraise, or petition. The mail carrier, a neighbor returning a ladder, and a kid selling nothing are all still welcome. The salesperson is not.
No Trespassing restricts entry itself. It tells people they may not come onto the property at all without permission. It is the broader and blunter instrument, and it is the sign that connects most directly to criminal trespass statutes in most states.
Put simply: No Soliciting governs why someone is at your door. No Trespassing governs whether they can be on your property in the first place.
Who each sign realistically stops
A No Soliciting sign is aimed at commercial visitors, and, depending on your local ordinance, may also cover charitable or petition-based requests. Political and religious canvassers often take the position that it does not apply to them, and courts have historically given noncommercial door-to-door speech significant protection. So a No Soliciting sign reduces sales knocks but rarely eliminates every unexpected visitor.
A No Trespassing sign, read literally, applies to everyone without business at your home. In practice, expected visitors like carriers and delivery drivers still come to the door, because delivering your package is implied permission. But for strangers with no invitation, the sign puts them on notice, and in many states, remaining after notice or returning after being told to leave is what elevates an annoyance into a trespass matter you can report.
Neither sign is a force field. Both work by revoking or narrowing the implied permission visitors otherwise have to walk up and knock, and both work better when the wording is specific and the homeowner is consistent.
Which one fits your goal
- You do not mind visitors, you mind sales pitches. No Soliciting is the right tool. Consider wording that prohibits the behavior, such as "Do not knock or ring the doorbell," so noncommercial visitors cannot read themselves out of it.
- You want no unexpected visitors of any kind. No Trespassing, ideally posted at the property line or walkway entrance, not just at the door, so notice happens before anyone is standing on your porch.
- You want quiet, but you do not want to slam the door on every offer forever. This is the case the traditional signs handle worst, and it describes more households than people admit. You might genuinely need a roofer after the next storm. A prohibition sign gives a legitimate company no way to reach you except by ignoring it.
That third case is what EntryVerified was built for. The sign states the boundary in the strongest behavioral terms, no knocks, no doorbell, no soliciting, and adds a QR code that canvassers and salespeople scan to submit their offer digitally. You review submissions when you choose, your contact information stays private from the person scanning, and your door stays quiet. The sign is free for homeowners.
The short version
No Soliciting narrows what visitors may do. No Trespassing narrows who may enter. Pick the sign that matches your actual goal, post it where it is read before the knock, and if your goal is quiet without becoming permanently unreachable, use a sign that gives legitimate businesses a no-knock way to reach you.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Trespass and solicitation rules vary by state and city, so check your local ordinances before relying on them.
Get your free EntryVerified sign — a 6.5 inch door sign or a 9 inch yard sign with a metal stake. Canvassers scan the QR code instead of knocking, and you decide whether to respond.