Bakersfield, California: door-to-door solicitor permit

• The answer: Yes: a Residential Solicitation Registration, per person. It is unlawful to go uninvited onto residential-zone property to sell goods or services for a business without the business holding a valid city business license and the person having registered with the city manager or designee (5.18.020 B, 5.18.010 E). Each rep registers at least ten days before starting (5.18.040 A). The city’s form has a For Profit box, asks for the company’s Business Tax Certificate number, and says “EACH SOLICITOR MUST REGISTER” with a line for every rep.
• Where it comes from: The City of Bakersfield Residential Solicitation Registration form, which reprints Bakersfield Municipal Code 5.18.050. Forms and the fee schedule are on the Treasury's Reports and Forms page.
• Fee: The code says each registrant pays a fee not to exceed the cost of registration (5.18.040 D). The Master Fee Schedule for 2026-27 lists Resident Solicitation, For-Profit, at 23 dollars “Each” under Business Regulation. Read together that is 23 dollars per registered rep; the fee schedule itself does not spell out what “Each” means.
• Hours you may knock: No residential solicitation between 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. of the following day (5.18.050 D). Only on the dates written on the registration (5.18.050 C).
• What the rep carries: Not stated. Chapter 5.18 has no badge or carry rule, and the form only records a receipt number for each registered solicitor.
• What takes the time: The code requires registering no less than ten days before the first door (5.18.040 A), and the form says to allow 10 days for processing. A registration covers specific dates, not to exceed ninety days, then you file again (5.18.040 B). Each rep gives name, address, driver’s license number, Social Security number and the company’s business license number. No background check, fingerprinting or bond appears in the chapter.
• Code: Bakersfield Municipal Code Chapter 5.18, Residential Solicitations (Ord. 3451, 1992): definitions (5.18.010), registration required (5.18.020), registration for businesses (5.18.040), regulations (5.18.050). The city’s registration form reprints 5.18.050.
• Worth knowing: The company must have and keep a valid city business license, and its number goes on every rep’s registration (5.18.040 C). The chapter applies in residential zones R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-S, E and RH (5.18.010 F). Chapter 5.18 has no “No Soliciting” sign rule. Registered people must still get any other permits the law requires (5.18.050 A).
• Read it yourself: Bakersfield Municipal Code Chapter 5.18, Residential Solicitations · City of Bakersfield Residential Solicitation Registration form · City of Bakersfield Master Fee Schedule, July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 · Bakersfield Treasury Reports and Forms · checked 19 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down: Confirm the 23 dollar fee is charged for each rep on the form; What does a rep carry in the field as proof of registration? Can one registration be renewed back to back past 90 days? Clerk’s name ______________   Direct line ______________   Date called ______________