Grand Rapids, Michigan: door-to-door solicitor permit

• The answer: Yes. The city code requires a Transient Merchant license before anyone engages in that business, and its definitions cover a door-to-door rep exactly: a Solicitor "travels from place to place and offers for sale, takes orders for or attempts to take orders for the retail sale of any goods, personal property or service whatsoever for future delivery," and a Peddler is anyone who travels place to place selling or taking orders at retail (§ 7.251, § 7.252). The license process is run against the individual applicant — their own driver's license and their own debts to the city are checked — so it is per person, not a blanket company permit.
• Where it comes from: The City Clerk's Office issues the license, through the online Citizen Access system, by phone, in person, or on paper.
• Fee: $333 application fee per applicant, non-refundable, per the city's Transient Merchant License page.
• Hours you may knock: 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., any day of the week, without a prior appointment; calling outside that window needs an actual appointment with the resident (§ 7.260; confirmed on the city's license page as "Door to door sales may only be made between the hours of 9:00 am and 9:00 pm").
• What the rep carries: Not specified in the chapter text read for this card — no badge or permit-display rule is written into §§ 7.251–7.261.
• What takes the time: Eligibility is checked against the applicant's own record: a valid driver's license, and no outstanding court fees, property taxes, parking tickets, or city income tax owed. Selling food or beverages needs a separate health permit from the Kent County Health Department or the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development on top of the license.
• Code: Grand Rapids City Code, Title VII (Licensing and Regulation), Chapter 99 (Transient Merchants), §§ 7.251–7.261, hosted on Municode Library, plus the fee set under § 7.48 (Chapter 92, Fees and Bonds).
• Worth knowing: A rep must not call, without an appointment, at any address posted "No peddlers," "no solicitors," "no salesmen," "no trespassing," or similar wording (§ 7.261). The city cannot use a fixed stand and can't stop in one spot longer than it takes to make a sale (§ 7.255). Reps who are under 18 and going door to door in their own neighborhood under school, charitable, or religious supervision are exempt from the license, as are authorized representatives of churches, charities, education, fraternal, or political groups — but ordinary commercial sales reps are not exempt (§ 7.259).
• Read it yourself: Grand Rapids City Code, Chapter 99: Transient Merchants · City of Grand Rapids, Apply for a Transient Merchant License · checked 19 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down: Whether the $333 fee and license are annual or can be issued for a shorter blitz period; Whether any badge, photo ID, or permit-display item is issued along with the license; How long the Citizen Access application and eligibility check typically take to clear before a rep can start. Clerk’s name ______________   Direct line ______________   Date called ______________