Cranston, Rhode Island: 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 — a door-to-door solicitation permit, applied for online through the City Clerk's licensing portal. The city's permit page quotes 5.40.140(B): anyone employed going door-to-door to sell or take orders for goods, services or subscriptions, sold at the door or delivered later, counts as soliciting at houses. Each employee who solicits must get a photo ID card, so it is per rep.
• Where it comes from: The Cranston City Clerk. The Clerk's licensing page says all applications must be completed online in the city's portal and paper applications are no longer accepted; the ID card is issued by the City Clerk.
• Fee: Not published. The permit page lists no fee, and the code (eCode360) could not be read. The Clerk's licensing page says that beginning January 1, 2026, all fees must be paid when the application is submitted.
• Hours you may knock: Not before 9:00 a.m. or after 7:00 p.m. or sunset, whichever comes earlier; never on a Sunday or any state or national holiday — per the city's permit page.
• What the rep carries: A City Clerk photo ID card showing the rep's name and address, the employer, the permit number and the expiration date, worn on the outer garments, lapel or belt, or otherwise conspicuously displayed while soliciting. No wearing an expired or revoked card, and no lending it — the card and permit are forfeited.
• What takes the time: Not published. The permit page does not describe a background check or a processing time. The permit is valid for no more than one year and expires the first day of March after it is issued, so a permit bought late in the year runs only to March (5.40.140(B), as quoted on the permit page).
• Code: Cranston Code of Ordinances, 5.40.140, as quoted on the city's Door-to-Door Solicitation permit page. The code itself is hosted on eCode360, which could not be read for this card.
• Worth knowing: Violations carry a fine of not more than $500, each day is a separate offense, and tickets are written by the Cranston Police Department and heard in Municipal Court (5.40.140(L), as quoted on the permit page). Religious and charitable 501(c)(3) groups that notify the Clerk, newspaper vendors, milkmen, farmers selling their own produce and political campaigns are exempt (5.40.140(M)).
• Read it yourself: City of Cranston — Door-to-Door Solicitation permit page (Clerk licensing portal) · City of Cranston — Clerk Services Area, business license information · Cranston Code of Ordinances (eCode360) — blocked · checked 22 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down:

• The door-to-door solicitation permit fee, and whether it is per rep or per company
• Whether the police run a background check, and how many days the permit takes
• Whether reps also need the state hawker/peddler license the Clerk issues through the same portal
• Whether 5.40.140 has a no-soliciting sign rule

Clerk’s name ______________ Direct line ______________ Date called ______________