Charleston, South Carolina: door-to-door solicitor permit

• The answer: Yes. Anyone peddling in the city -- defined to include taking orders for goods or for services to be performed in the future -- must hold a peddler's permit, and each rep working for a company must individually obtain their own permit (§ 17-107(1)).
• Where it comes from: The application goes to the Chief of Police; the City of Charleston Revenue Collections Division investigates, sets the business license fee, and issues the permit and license together (§ 17-107(2)–(3)).
• Fee: The code sets no fixed dollar figure. "The fees, if any, for a peddler's permit... shall be set by city council" (§ 17-103), and the revenue collections director separately determines the annual business license fee from the applicant's anticipated volume of sales (§ 17-107(3)).
• Hours you may knock: 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. -- peddling is unlawful "between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m." (§ 17-94(1)).
• What the rep carries: The peddler's permit itself, on their person, at all times while peddling (§ 17-105).
• What takes the time: The application requires a recent head-and-shoulders photo, a criminal-history statement, and a civil-judgment (fraud/deceit) statement; the police chief and revenue collections director then investigate and must issue or deny the permit within 7 days (§ 17-107(2)–(3)).
• Code: Code of the City of Charleston, ch. 17, art. V (§§ 17-91–17-107).
• Worth knowing: A posted "No Trespassing," "No Peddlers," or "No Solicitors" sign makes soliciting that property unlawful (§ 17-97). Peddling is barred entirely in several districts -- the Market District, South of Broad, King Street District, Waterfront Park District, Aquarium District, and Marion Square -- and within 50 feet of an ATM, church, school, library, hospital, funeral home, bank, hotel, or outdoor dining area (§ 17-102). Reps may never approach a moving vehicle (§ 17-95).
• Read it yourself: Charleston Code of Ordinances ch. 17, art. V - Peddlers, Charitable Solicitors, Palmetto Artisans, Buskers, Panhandlers, and Vendors · checked 19 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down: What is the current dollar amount council has set for the peddler's permit fee? What business license fee will apply to our anticipated sales volume, and how is it calculated? How quickly can multiple reps on one team get their individual permits processed together? Clerk’s name ______________   Direct line ______________   Date called ______________