Fresno, California: door-to-door solicitor permit

• The answer: Yes — a city business license (business tax certificate) as a General Solicitor, priced per person. Fresno's code names the exact activity: going house to house taking orders for goods for future delivery "or for services to be performed in the future" (7-1232). No person, "whether as principal or agent, clerk or employee," may carry on a licensed trade without first getting the license (7-1002). The code is plain that this is a tax, not a regulatory permit (7-1001): there is no separate solicitor permit chapter, no background check and no badge.
• Where it comes from: Fresno Municipal Code Chapter 7, Article 10, Business Licenses, General Provisions (7-1001 to 7-1006) and Article 12, License Fees (7-1232), with the rate in the city's Master Fee Schedule. Licenses are issued on a form prescribed by the Controller (7-1004), Finance Department.
• Fee: The FY 26 Master Fee Schedule lists "Soliciting Business, General (FMC 7-1232)" at 3.00 per person per day or 14.00 per person per month, in dollars. The schedule prints the amounts without a dollar sign.
• Hours you may knock: Not set. The code has no hours rule for house-to-house sellers. Chapter 9, the business regulation chapter, has no article for solicitors or peddlers going to homes; its solicitation article covers contributions.
• What the rep carries: The license itself. A licensee without a fixed place of business "shall carry such license with him at all times" while working and show it to any police officer or license inspector who asks (7-1006).
• What takes the time: Nothing published beyond filling in the Controller's application and paying the fee (7-1004). No background check, bond or fingerprinting appears in the code.
• Code: Fresno Municipal Code 7-1001, 7-1002, 7-1004, 7-1006, 7-1201 and 7-1232. Municode shows the code as "Version: Jul 15, 2026 (current)".
• Worth knowing: A license with no permanent business address is issued for each license period and shows its expiration date (7-1004(c)), and it cannot be transferred to another person without the Controller's consent (7-1004(d)). Selling goods you carry with you on a public street is a different category, Merchandise Peddler (7-1230).
• Read it yourself: Fresno Municipal Code 7-1232, General Solicitor · Fresno Municipal Code Chapter 7, Article 10, Business Licenses, General Provisions (7-1001 to 7-1006) · City of Fresno FY 26 Master Fee Schedule · Fresno Municipal Code Chapter 9 table of articles · Municode search of the Fresno code (solicitor) · checked 19 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down: Does each rep need their own General Solicitor business license, or can the company hold one and list the reps? Is the FY 26 rate (3.00 per person per day, 14.00 per person per month) still current, and is there an application or processing charge on top? Does a company that already holds a Fresno business license under the gross receipts schedule still owe the per-person General Solicitor fee? Are there any hours the city enforces for door-to-door sales? Clerk’s name ______________   Direct line ______________   Date called ______________