Brownsville, Texas: 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 — anyone who solicits orders or sells door to door in the city without a fixed local address is a "peddler" and must get a permit from the chief of police before soliciting or selling (22-486, 22-516).
• Where it comes from: City of Brownsville Code of Ordinances, Chapter 22, Article IX (Peddlers), Division 2 (Permit). Applications go through the police department; the permit itself is signed by the city secretary (22-516, 22-523).
• Fee: Scaled to how long the permit runs, per the fee table's own figures: $100.00 for one year, 60.00 for six months, 40.00 for three months, 15.00 for one month, 10.00 for one week, 5.00 for one day (22-520).
• Hours you may knock: Not published. Article IX sets no clock-time restriction on door-to-door peddling; the city's noise ordinance sets separate "quiet hours" for sound levels (Chapter 46, Article III) but that is not a soliciting-hours rule.
• What the rep carries: The permit, displayed on request of any person; failing to show it is a misdemeanor (22-525).
• What takes the time: Fingerprinting and a photograph, taken by the chief of police at the time of application and kept on permanent file, plus a $2,000.00 surety bond that must be furnished before a permit issues (22-518, 22-519).
• Code: Brownsville Code of Ordinances, Chapter 22, Article IX, §§ 22-486 through 22-526.
• Worth knowing: A peddler may not go onto a private residence's premises at all unless the owner or occupant requested or invited it, and must leave immediately if told to (22-487, 22-488). The bond covers final delivery of goods ordered and 30 days of product-defect protection for the customer (22-519).
• Read it yourself: Brownsville Code of Ordinances, Chapter 22, Article IX — Peddlers · checked 19 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down: What hours is door-to-door commercial solicitation actually allowed — is there an unwritten police department rule? Does the police department process fingerprinting same-day, or does it add days to onboarding a new rep? Is the $2,000 bond per individual rep or can one company bond cover the whole team? Clerk’s name ______________   Direct line ______________   Date called ______________