Columbia, South Carolina: 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 city's business license code has its own NAICS classification for "Peddlers, Solicitors, Canvassers, Door-To-Door Sales," so a company selling door-to-door must hold a business license under that classification (ch. 11, art. II, § 11-32, Schedule item 9.41).
• Where it comes from: The City of Columbia's business license official issues it, under Code of Ordinances, ch. 11, art. II (§§ 11-31, 11-32).
• Fee: Under the "Regular activities" tier of NAICS 454390 (Peddlers, Solicitors, Canvassers, Door-To-Door Sales), the minimum on the first $2,000 of gross receipts is $50.00, plus $3.00 per $1,000 (or fraction) over $2,000 -- non-resident rates apply since a door-to-door company has no permanent location in the city (§ 11-32, Schedule item 9.41).
• Hours you may knock: Not published. No clock-time restriction on door-to-door canvassing was found in the Peddlers and Solicitors article; a separate late-night vending rule exists but applies only to franchised sidewalk carts, a different category (§ 11-259).
• What the rep carries: The business license itself: "A transient or non-resident shall carry the license upon his person or in a vehicle used in the business readily available for inspection by any authorized agent of the municipality" (§ 11-38(a)).
• What takes the time: Not published: no background-check, fingerprinting, or processing-time language appears in the sections read for the peddler/solicitor/canvasser classification.
• Code: Code of Ordinances, City of Columbia, ch. 11, art. II, §§ 11-31, 11-32 (NAICS 454390 schedule item 9.41), 11-38 (carry requirement); art. VII (Peddlers and Solicitors), div. 1, § 11-211.
• Worth knowing: Selling, bartering, or exchanging goods in or near a city park, playground, pool, or place of amusement owned or operated by the city is separately unlawful (§ 11-211). Columbia's Peddlers and Solicitors article otherwise only regulates charitable solicitation (div. 2, out of scope here) and franchised sidewalk vending carts (div. 3), not door-to-door commercial reps.
• Read it yourself: Columbia Code of Ordinances, ch. 11, art. II - Business and Professional Licenses · Columbia Code of Ordinances, ch. 11, art. VII - Peddlers and Solicitors · checked 19 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down: Are there city-set knocking hours for door-to-door commercial sales, even though none appear in the code? Is a background check or individual solicitor ID required for reps working under a company's business license? Is the NAICS 454390 business license required per company only, or does each rep need to carry their own copy? Clerk’s name ______________   Direct line ______________   Date called ______________