Albuquerque, New Mexico: door-to-door solicitor permit

• The answer: Yes. It is unlawful to conduct any business solicitation without a valid permit in the rep’s possession (13-3-1-3), and a Category B permit is the one that covers private residences (13-3-1-2). “Solicitation” includes making appointments, interviews and demonstrations that lead to a sale. The permit is per person: the code defines the applicant as an individual, and the city’s application asks for the applicant’s name, date of birth and employer. The city’s FAQ says the same: a Vendor/Solicitation Permit if “soliciting at private residences.”
• Where it comes from: The Planning Department’s business license office. The city says to submit solicitation applications and pay at 600 2nd St NW, ground floor.
• Fee: $10 per applicant, nonrefundable, paid with the application (13-3-1-9). The city’s business license pages and the application form print no fee, so confirm the amount at the counter. The application also asks whether your City of Albuquerque business registration fee is current.
• Hours you may knock: 9:00 a.m. to sunset under a Category B (residential) permit (13-3-1-10(B)). The Albuquerque Police Department’s Door-to-Door Solicitation sheet says the same.
• What the rep carries: The permit, which carries the holder’s name, address and photograph. It must be carried whenever the rep is soliciting and shown to the public on request (13-3-1-12(A)). Permits are nontransferable.
• What takes the time: The city has ten calendar days from receipt of the application to grant or deny the permit (13-3-1-11). The application needs a New Mexico gross receipts tax number and proof of city business registration, two passport-size photographs, a sworn declaration of no solicitation-crime conviction in the past ten years for the applicant and the employer, and a declaration that the applicant is 18 or older (13-3-1-6). The form also carries a Zoning Department sign-off. The permit is good for a maximum of one year and is not renewed automatically (13-3-1-12).
• Code: Albuquerque Code of Ordinances (ROA 1994), Chapter 13, Article 3, Part 1, Business Solicitations, 13-3-1-1 to 13-3-1-99: permit required (13-3-1-3), exemptions (13-3-1-4), application (13-3-1-6), Category B (13-3-1-8), fee (13-3-1-9), hours (13-3-1-10), permit carried (13-3-1-12). American Legal’s host shows the code current through Ordinance 2026-010, passed 4-6-2026.
• Worth knowing: No soliciting at a home where the occupant says so orally or in writing; a sign near the entrance reading “No Trespassing,” “No Peddlers,” “No Advertisements” or similar is enough (13-3-1-8). Exempt from the permit: state-licensed real estate and insurance agents who carry the state license, and anyone 17 or under (13-3-1-4). The H-1 Historic Old Town zone has its own rules (Part 2), and the city’s application says solicitation there is prohibited. One permit per category per person per year (13-3-1-12(E)).
• Read it yourself: Albuquerque Code 13-3-1, Business Solicitations (definitions, permit required, exemptions, application) · Albuquerque Code 13-3-1-8, Category B permit · Albuquerque Code 13-3-1-9, Permit fee · Albuquerque Code 13-3-1-10, Hours of solicitations · Albuquerque Code 13-3-1-11, Authorization or denial of permit · Albuquerque Code 13-3-1-12, Visibility of permit; duration · American Legal, Albuquerque overview (currency statement) · City of Albuquerque, Business License FAQs · Application for License for Business Solicitation Permit (PDF) · Albuquerque Police Department, Door-to-Door Solicitation (PDF) · City of Albuquerque, Business License Information · checked 19 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down: Whether the Category B permit fee is still $10 per rep, and any company-level fee; Whether the company needs a City business registration before its reps can apply; How the office defines sunset for the day; How long the permit actually takes once the application and photos are in. Clerk’s name ______________   Direct line ______________   Date called ______________