Fort Myers, Florida: door-to-door solicitor permit

• The answer: Yes — a solicitor and canvasser license, per person. It is unlawful for a solicitor or canvasser to work inside the city without one (18-363). The definition catches fiber sales squarely: any individual, resident or not, traveling house to house taking or attempting to take orders for goods or "for services to be furnished or performed in the future," sample or no sample (18-362). Peddlers who carry stock with them are licensed under a separate division of the same article (18-332, 18-333).
• Where it comes from: The license inspector takes the written application; the chief of police investigates and endorses approval or denial; the license inspector then issues the license on payment of the fee (18-364, 18-366). Photographs and fingerprints are taken at the police department (18-365). Fort Myers City Code Chapter 18, Article V, Solicitors, Peddlers and Canvassers.
• Fee: $16.00 to the police department with the application, to cover the cost of investigating it (18-364(b)). On top of that comes the local business tax receipt: the license is delivered "upon payment of the license fee set forth in section 82-205" (18-366(c)), and the schedule's line 89 reads "Canvassers or solicitors [(c)] (see also chapter 18, article V, division 3) 50.00". The amount column in that schedule is dollars and line 89 prints no dollar sign. A rep from outside the city, or one representing a firm headquartered outside Florida, must also file a $1,000.00 surety bond (18-367).
• Hours you may knock: Fort Myers publishes no knocking hours. Article V sets none for solicitors, peddlers or canvassers, and the streets and public places chapter sets none either. Ask the license inspector before working evenings.
• What the rep carries: The code names nothing the rep must wear or show at the door — it requires the license but does not say to carry or display it. Carry the license and company photo ID anyway; the police took the photograph and fingerprints that back it (18-365).
• What takes the time: The police background check. The bracketed "[(c)]" on the canvasser line of the tax schedule means "Approval of the City of Fort Myers Police Department and a police background check" before a receipt issues (82-204(a)). The chief of police investigates business and moral character as deeply as he sees fit, with no deadline in the code (18-366(a)). The application also wants the names of at least two reliable property owners of the county who will vouch for the applicant, a statement of every felony, misdemeanor or ordinance violation the applicant has been convicted of, and employer credentials if the rep is not self-employed (18-364(a)). Out-of-town applicants line up the bond as well (18-367). A denial can be appealed to the city council within 14 days (18-368).
• Code: Fort Myers City Code Chapter 18, Article V (18-332 to 18-369), with the license fee in Chapter 82, Taxation at 82-204 and 82-205, and right-of-way rules at 78-1. Municode shows the code as codified through Ordinance No. 4093, adopted June 15, 2026 (Supp. No. 60), content updated July 28, 2026.
• Worth knowing: Working the roadway is a different offense: it is unlawful to obstruct the normal use of any street, highway or road right-of-way by soliciting, standing or approaching vehicles or pedestrians, or to make any commercial use of a right-of-way (78-1(b)). The license can be revoked by the city manager or chief of police after notice and a hearing for a false statement in the application, a false statement made while working, any violation of the division, a conviction involving moral turpitude, or conducting the business in a way that breaches the peace (18-369). Article V's own state-law note points at Florida's home solicitation statutes, and the state permit (F.S. 501.022) is filed with the clerk of the circuit court — here, Lee.
• Read it yourself: Fort Myers City Code Chapter 18, Article V, Solicitors, Peddlers and Canvassers · Fort Myers City Code Chapter 82, Taxation (82-204, 82-205) · Fort Myers City Code Chapter 78, Streets, Sidewalks and Other Public Places (78-1) · Fort Myers Code of Ordinances, title page · Florida Statutes 501.022, Home solicitation sale; permit required · checked 20 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down:

• Is the solicitor license per rep, and does each rep pay the $16.00 investigation fee separately?
• Which line of the 82-205 schedule applies to a fiber sales crew, and what does the receipt cost for the year?
• How long does the police background check take from application to license?
• Are there hours the city expects reps to stop knocking, since the code sets none?

Clerk’s name ______________ Direct line ______________ Date called ______________