Gulfport, Mississippi: door-to-door solicitor permit

• The answer: Yes — a license from the city clerk before any peddling or soliciting (5-113(a)). A solicitor includes anyone going door-to-door taking orders for goods or services to be delivered or performed later (5-111). Every person working as a solicitor needs a separate license, so one per rep (5-119(a)).
• Where it comes from: The office of the city clerk takes the written, sworn application; the police department investigates the applicant's character and background (5-113(b), (c)).
• Fee: An annual license fee of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) per person, and all persons employed by the solicitor must have separate licenses (5-119(a)). Peddlers and solicitors must also furnish a penal bond of one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) to the city before soliciting (5-119(c)). The license expires one year from issuance (5-118).
• Hours you may knock: No peddling or soliciting from the hours of darkness till 8:00 a.m. (5-120(a)(2)). The code gives no clock time for when darkness starts.
• What the rep carries: The license, shown at the request of any citizen (5-116). It may be used only by the person it was issued to (5-115).
• What takes the time: The clerk has five working days to approve or deny, and out-of-town solicitors wait an automatic five-day period while police investigate their background (5-113(c)). The sworn application needs a 2x2 photo taken within 60 days, the employer's name and credentials, any vehicle used, and any convictions in the last five years (5-114). Solicitation in residential areas is limited to state citizens or agents of corporations domiciled in or qualified to do business in Mississippi (5-113(f)).
• Code: Gulfport Code of Ordinances, Chapter 5, Article IV, Division 2 — Peddlers and Solicitors (5-111 to 5-122). Municode shows the code codified through Ordinance No. 3551, enacted January 20, 2026 (Supp. No. 68).
• Worth knowing: No soliciting at any time where a "No Peddlers or Solicitors" sign is posted (5-120(a)(2)). A violation of any rule in 5-120 revokes the license with no refund (5-120(c)), and anyone convicted under the division, or whose bond was forfeited, cannot get a license (5-113(d)).
• Read it yourself: Gulfport Code of Ordinances, Chapter 5, Article IV — Peddlers, Solicitors and Transient Vendors · Gulfport Code of Ordinances — landing page · checked 22 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down:

• Whether one $1,000.00 penal bond covers the company or each rep must post one
• How long the out-of-town five-day police background wait runs for a team applying together
• Whether the city also requires a privilege (business) license for the company

Clerk’s name ______________ Direct line ______________ Date called ______________