Cary, North Carolina: door-to-door solicitor permit

• The answer: Yes — a peddler/solicitor's permit, per rep. It is unlawful to sell or solicit orders for goods or services door to door in Cary without one, unless the resident asked for the visit (20-3(b)). When an employer applies, each rep files his own sworn application and "a separate permit shall be issued for each applicant" (20-3(c)(10)). The permit runs 60 days and can be renewed without limit.
• Where it comes from: The Cary Police Department, 120 Wilkinson Avenue, takes the application in person. The fee is paid first at the Finance Department in Town Hall, 316 N. Academy Street, and the receipt goes in with the application. The form is linked from the police Records page as the TOC Solicitor Permit Application.
• Fee: A non-refundable $50.00 Solicitor Permit Fee for each peddler/solicitor, paid to the Town of Cary Finance Department, per the police department's application checklist (Form #610, revised 7/2024). The code section itself names no fee. The rep also pays an online company for his own national criminal background check; the town says those fees vary.
• Hours you may knock: 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. during eastern daylight time, and 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. during eastern standard time (20-3(b)(1)).
• What the rep carries: The permit issued for that rep, carried and displayed at all times while soliciting so it is clearly visible (20-3(b)(2)). The town attaches a copy of the ordinance to each issued permit.
• What takes the time: Two current passport photos, a copy of a U.S. driver's license or other government photo ID, the Finance Department fee receipt, and a national criminal background check report the rep orders himself; a Wake County or state-only check is not accepted. The code says the police chief should act within 72 hours of a complete application (20-3(d)(2)). The form says most applications are processed within 3 business days, and large submissions may take a week or longer.
• Code: Town of Cary Code of Ordinances, Sec. 20-3, Peddlers and solicitors, last amended by Ord. No. 2022-Code-04 (9-22-2022), on American Legal Publishing.
• Worth knowing: A felony conviction or no-contest plea in the last ten years, or a theft, fraud or moral turpitude misdemeanor in the last five, means no permit (20-3(d)(1)). Soliciting without a permit, or in violation of the section, is a criminal misdemeanor (20-3(j)). Renewals must be filed by the expiration date or they are processed as new applications (20-3(e)).
• Read it yourself: Cary Code of Ordinances Sec. 20-3 · Town of Cary, Peddler/Solicitor Permit checklist and application (Form #610) · Town of Cary Police, Records · checked 18 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down: Is the $50.00 fee charged again at each 60-day renewal? Can a manager drop off applications for the whole crew, or must each rep appear in person? Does the town keep a no-solicitation list or enforce No Soliciting signs by ordinance? Clerk’s name ______________   Direct line ______________   Date called ______________