Fairfield, California: 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. It is unlawful to conduct business as a solicitor, peddler or itinerant merchant in Fairfield without a permit issued by the Director of Public Safety, before any business license is issued (5B.2).
• Where it comes from: Fairfield City Code Chapter 5B (Solicitors, Peddlers, Itinerant Merchants). Apply with the Chief of Police at least 30 days before the proposed start date (5B.3).
• Fee: $273 for a new Solicitor ID Card/Permit, or $164 to renew, plus State fee and applicable DOJ and fingerprint rolling fees — per the City's FY2026-27 Master Fee Schedule, effective July 1, 2026. The code (5B.4) says the permit fee itself is set by City Council resolution.
• Hours you may knock: Not published. Chapter 5B sets no general knocking-hours restriction for solicitors or peddlers going door to door; the only time-of-day rule in the chapter bars stopping or parking a vending vehicle within 300 feet of a public elementary or middle school between 1:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. on a school day (5B.10).
• What the rep carries: A solicitor's permit carried on the person at all times while operating in the city, plus a separate identification card from the Department of Public Safety bearing the rep's picture and thumbprint, also carried at all times (5B.7).
• What takes the time: A chief-of-police inquiry before the identification card is issued, and, for solicitors or itinerant merchants requiring cash deposits or financing contracts, a surety bond in the sum of five thousand dollars covering delivery or refund of advance payments (5B.7, 5B.3(i)(2)).
• Code: Fairfield City Code Chapter 5B, §§ 5B.1 through 5B.10 (Solicitors, Peddlers, Itinerant Merchants).
• Worth knowing: A peddler may operate in one general location for no longer than 30 minutes (5B.9). Identification cards are valid for three years from issuance (5B.8), separate from the annual solicitor's permit.
• Read it yourself: Fairfield City Code Chapter 5B Solicitors, Peddlers, Itinerant Merchants · City of Fairfield FY2026-27 Master Fee Schedule · checked 19 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down: Whether there is any knocking-hours restriction in practice, even though Chapter 5B doesn't set one; The total out-of-pocket cost including State fee and DOJ/fingerprint rolling fees on top of the $273 base fee; Whether the $5,000 bond applies to a company taking no advance payments or deposits. Clerk’s name ______________   Direct line ______________   Date called ______________