Cedar Rapids, Iowa: door-to-door solicitor permit

• The answer: Yes — a Solicitor License, for anyone who "initiates or attempts to initiate personal contact with other persons at or near residences or businesses...in an apparent effort to solicit or attempt to solicit monies or orders for goods, services, subscriptions, or merchandise" (42.01(l), 42.02(a)).
• Where it comes from: The Office of the City Clerk (42.03(a)).
• Fee: $170 for the annual license plus $15 for the Iowa criminal history background check ($50 of that is non-refundable if the license is denied) — per the City Clerk's Vendor Licenses page. On top of that, a $1,000 surety bond (42.04) and proof of general liability insurance of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence (42.05) are required.
• Hours you may knock: 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., every day, and not at all on a federal holiday unless the City Manager specifically approves it (42.11(a)).
• What the rep carries: The original, physical license, displayed prominently at all times and shown to a customer or city employee on request — a copy or photo doesn't count — plus original government photo ID (42.02(d)).
• What takes the time: A statewide criminal history record report from every state the applicant has lived in over the past five years (42.03(b)(2)), plus the $1,000 bond and $1,000,000 insurance certificate before the license issues (42.04, 42.05).
• Code: Cedar Rapids Municipal Code, Chapter 42 — Solicitors and Transient Merchants (§§ 42.01–42.13).
• Worth knowing: No more than one solicitation call at the same residence for the same goods or services within any 14-day period without a prior invitation — this applies across all of a company's reps, not just one individual (42.12(a)). No knocking where a "No Soliciting" sign is posted (42.12(b)). A written receipt is required on request for any purchase over $5 (42.12(e)). A license denial or revocation locks the applicant out for 180 days (42.02(e), 42.07(d)).
• Read it yourself: Cedar Rapids Municipal Code, Chapter 42 — Solicitors and Transient Merchants · City of Cedar Rapids — Vendor Licenses (Solicitors) · checked 19 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down: Whether the $170/$15 fee figures on the Vendor Licenses page are still current; Whether the license and background check are per individual rep even when working for the same employer, given the "only one natural person may engage in such activity under one solicitor license" rule (42.02(a)). Clerk’s name ______________   Direct line ______________   Date called ______________