Elk Grove, California: door-to-door solicitor permit

• The answer: Yes — a solicitation license for the company and a separate solicitor permit for each rep, both from the Chief of Police (4.04.010).
• Where it comes from: The Finance Director issues the solicitation license and the solicitor permit; the Chief of Police investigates the application (4.04.025, 4.04.045).
• Fee: $36 annual license fee per solicitor, plus a $49 Department of Justice background-check fee, per the city's Types of Business Licenses page.
• Hours you may knock: Nov 1 to Feb 28 (29 in a leap year): 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., 10:00 a.m. on Sundays. Mar 1 to Oct 31: 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., 10:00 a.m. on Sundays (4.04.035(A)).
• What the rep carries: The City-issued solicitor permit, displayed on the person at all times while soliciting (4.04.045(D)).
• What takes the time: Chief of Police investigation of the solicitation license application, plus the DOJ background check for each solicitor (4.04.025, 4.04.045).
• Code: Elk Grove Municipal Code, Chapter 4.04, Solicitation Licenses and Permits (§§ 4.04.000–4.04.060).
• Worth knowing: No solicitor may knock at a residence displaying a 'no solicitors' sign in letters one inch or larger, once the solicitor saw or reasonably should have seen it (4.04.035(D)).
• Read it yourself: Elk Grove Municipal Code Chapter 4.04 · City of Elk Grove — Types of Business Licenses · checked 19 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down: How long the solicitation license and DOJ background check take to process; Whether a company-wide solicitation license photo/ID badge is issued alongside the individual permit. Clerk’s name ______________   Direct line ______________   Date called ______________