Bellingham, Washington: 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 — the Bellingham Police Department issues a Solicitor License, by appointment, and the company needs a Bellingham business registration (a city endorsement on its Washington state business license) like every business working in the city. The code chapter behind the solicitor license, BMC Chapter 6.18, could not be read, so who exactly must hold one is not confirmed here.
• Where it comes from: Bellingham Police Department, 505 Grand Ave. Solicitor License requests are processed by appointment only, requested by email to BPDFingerprints@cob.org, per the city's Fingerprinting page. The business registration is added through the Washington State Department of Revenue.
• Fee: Solicitor License Fee – $15, collected at the police appointment. Separately, the cost to add a Bellingham city endorsement to the company's Washington state business license is $40; a business based outside the city with less than $4,000 a year in Bellingham revenue (or the BMC 6.05.025(D) threshold, if greater) is exempt from registering.
• Hours you may knock: Not read. BMC Chapter 6.18 is hosted on bellingham.municipal.codes, which returned a bot check, and the city's web pages do not state knocking hours. Ask the police department, or see the City Clerk Call Sheet.
• What the rep carries: Not read from the code. The applicant brings current photo identification and the completed application to the appointment.
• What takes the time: An in-person police appointment booked by email. The city says a city endorsement can take several weeks for the Department of Revenue to process. No processing time is published for the solicitor license itself.
• Code: Bellingham Municipal Code Chapter 6.18 — Canvassers and Solicitors (not read; host blocked). Business registration under BMC Chapter 6.05, as cited on the city's registration page.
• Read it yourself: City of Bellingham — Fingerprinting (Police Services) · City of Bellingham — Registering Your Bellingham Business · Bellingham Municipal Code Chapter 6.18 on municipal.codes (blocked) · checked 21 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down:

• What hours BMC 6.18 allows door-to-door solicitors to knock
• Whether each rep needs his own Solicitor License, and how long it is good for
• Whether a background check or fingerprinting is part of the $15 license and how long it takes
• Whether the rep must wear or carry the license while working

Clerk’s name ______________ Direct line ______________ Date called ______________