Albany, New York: door-to-door solicitor permit

Partly read: the permit answer is sourced, but the fee or the hours could not be read from the city’s own pages. The clerk questions below cover the gap.

• The answer: Yes — a door-to-door license from the City Clerk, renewed every year. The Clerk's 2026 application says all door-to-door vendors must be licensed annually under Chapter 363 of the city code, and each applicant signs a sworn application in their own name.
• Where it comes from: The Office of the City Clerk, City Hall, Room 202, 24 Eagle Street. The "Application for a Door to Door License" is on the Clerk's Licenses & Forms page and must be sworn before a notary or commissioner of deeds.
• Fee: $200.00, printed as "Fee Paid" at the top of the Clerk's 2026 application. Fingerprinting is paid separately by the applicant to the fingerprint vendor; the city does not print that amount.
• Hours you may knock: Not read. The application form prints no knocking hours, and the code chapter (Chapter 363 — Vendors) could not be opened. Ask the Clerk, or see the City Clerk Call Sheet.
• What the rep carries: Not read — the code chapter could not be opened and the application form does not say.
• What takes the time: A fingerprint background check before the license issues (the form cites 363-9(c)), done through IdentoGO, where the applicant says it is for the City of Albany Door to Door Vending License. The form also asks about arrests, convictions, parole or probation, and any vendor license revoked or denied in the past five years. No processing time is published.
• Code: Code of the City of Albany, Chapter 363 — Vendors, including door-to-door requirements (363-9). The chapter text itself could not be read for this card.
• Worth knowing: The license is annual, so plan on a new application and fee each year. The applicant signs an indemnity for the city on the form.
• Read it yourself: Albany City Clerk — Application for a Door to Door License, 2026 (PDF) · Albany City Clerk — Licenses & Forms · Albany Code, Chapter 363 — Vendors (not readable: bot wall) · checked 21 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down:

• What hours door-to-door vendors may knock under Chapter 363
• Whether the license is per rep or one per company
• Whether the rep must carry or wear a license or badge while working
• How long the fingerprint check and license take to come back

Clerk’s name ______________ Direct line ______________ Date called ______________