Denton, Texas: door-to-door solicitor permit

• The answer: Yes — every home solicitor or itinerant merchant must get an individual permit from the city before soliciting or selling door to door (16-91).
• Where it comes from: Denton Code of Ordinances, Chapter 16, Article III (Solicitors and Itinerant Merchants), Division 2 (Permit). Applications are filed with the police chief and the permit is issued by the Denton Police Department, 601 E. Hickory Street, Suite E (16-93, 16-94).
• Fee: $20.00 per applicant, cash, paid with the application — the code itself says the amount is set by city council and on file with the city secretary; the police department's own application form states the number (16-93(b)(j)).
• Hours you may knock: 9:00 a.m. to the earlier of dusk or 9:00 p.m., Monday through Friday; 10:00 a.m. to the earlier of dusk or 9:00 p.m. on Saturday or Sunday. Dusk means 30 minutes after sunset (16-73).
• What the rep carries: The permit card (name, permit number, expiration date) and a driver's license or state ID, shown on request of any person demanding it (16-95).
• What takes the time: The application asks for identity, employer, vehicle description, proposed solicitation location, and other cities worked in the past 12 months, plus a criminal-history screen (no conviction/probation/deferred adjudication within the code's lookback windows for homicide, kidnapping, sexual, assaultive, robbery, burglary, felony theft, fraud, weapons, and drug offenses). The chief must issue or deny within 5 working days of a complete application and fee. A solicitor's permit runs a maximum of 30 days; an itinerant merchant's, 14 days (16-93, 16-94).
• Code: Denton Code of Ordinances, Chapter 16, Article III, §§ 16-71 through 16-96.
• Worth knowing: A resident can post a weatherproof "No Solicitors" or "No Handbills" card (letters at least two-thirds of an inch tall) near the main entrance; a rep who sees it must leave without knocking (16-75). Soliciting is banned outright, permit or not, on a named list of major Denton streets and rights-of-way including I-35, University Drive/Highway 380 and Loop 288 (16-96). After a permit expires, the same solicitor cannot reapply for the same business/location for 30 days (16-93(b)(l)).
• Read it yourself: Denton Code of Ordinances, Chapter 16, Article III — Solicitors and Itinerant Merchants · Denton Police Department, Solicitor and Itinerant Merchant Permit Application · checked 19 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down: Is the $20 permit fee (from the current application form) still current, and is it per rep or does it cover a team? Can a company pre-clear a roster of reps, or does each one have to apply in person at the police department? Does the 30-day cap on a solicitor permit mean the whole team re-applies monthly during a blitz? Clerk’s name ______________   Direct line ______________   Date called ______________