Decatur, Illinois: 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: Not confirmed. Decatur's only door-to-door chapter licenses transient merchants and itinerant vendors, using the definitions in the Illinois Transient Merchant Act (Ch. 50.1, secs. 1–2). Those state definitions cover retail sale of goods from a building, vehicle or lot, or transporting goods for sale — the code does not say whether a rep taking orders for a service needs the license. The chapter's hours and "No Solicitors" rules are written for anyone selling or soliciting (50.1-8(a), (c)). Ask the City Clerk; see the City Clerk Call Sheet.
• Where it comes from: The City Clerk issues it after approval by the Chief of Police (50.1-2). Licensing is on the 2nd floor of the Decatur Civic Center, 1 Gary K. Anderson Plaza, per the city's Licensing page.
• Fee: $100.00 per year, charged for each individual involved in the business (50.1-5). The city's application also lists a background check fee of $40.00 per person, on top of the $100.00 license.
• Hours you may knock: No selling or soliciting between 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. (50.1-8(a)).
• What the rep carries: Before entering a dwelling the licensee gives his name and who he represents, and shows the City Clerk license plus a photo government ID (state driver's license or state ID) on request of any person or officer (50.1-9).
• What takes the time: No license is guaranteed sooner than fourteen (14) days after the application is submitted (50.1-7). The application asks for driver's license number, employer, criminal convictions other than traffic or parking, and a State of Illinois sales tax number or other proof of state registration (50.1-3). Applicants under 18 and some recent theft, burglary or fraud convictions are ineligible (50.1-4). The bond is waived (50.1-6).
• Code: Code of the City of Decatur, Chapter 50.1 — Transient Merchants (secs. 1–13), posted as a PDF by the city, marked "Amended February 2025" (last amendment Ordinance No. 2025-07, February 18, 2025).
• Worth knowing: No selling or soliciting at a residence or business displaying "NO SOLICITORS" or words to that effect, and no staying after being asked to leave (50.1-8(c), (d)). Not more than two persons at a single dwelling at one time (50.1-10). A violation is fined $150.00 to $500.00, each day a separate offense (50.1-13).
• Read it yourself: Decatur City Code, Chapter 50.1 — Transient Merchants (PDF) · City of Decatur — Transient Merchant and Itinerant Vendor License Application (PDF) · City of Decatur — Licensing · City of Decatur — City Code · Illinois Transient Merchant Act of 1987 (225 ILCS 465) · checked 23 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down:

• Whether a door-to-door rep taking orders for a service (such as fiber internet) needs the Transient Merchant license, and if not, whether any other city license applies
• Whether the $40.00 background check is charged again at each yearly renewal
• Whether a service seller with no Illinois sales tax registration can still apply

Clerk’s name ______________ Direct line ______________ Date called ______________