Hoover, Alabama: door-to-door solicitor permit

• The answer: Yes — a solicitation and peddling permit from the City of Hoover Department of Revenue before any uninvited sales call at a home (8-402). The permit is issued to a specific individual (8-401(i)), so it is one per rep. A solicitor is anyone taking orders for goods for future delivery or for services to be performed in the future (8-401(l)).
• Where it comes from: The Hoover Department of Revenue. The rep applies in person on the department's form, with a U.S. driver's license, state ID or passport, two 2-by-2 passport photos taken within 60 days, and written credentials from the employer (8-403(a) to (c)). The city's permit page points to the permit package under Ordinance 16-2301.
• Fee: A non-refundable one hundred dollar ($100.00) fee, paid when the application is filed (8-403(d)). The full criminal background check is at the applicant's expense on top of that; its cost is not published (8-403(e)).
• Hours you may knock: 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. or sundown, whichever is earliest, Monday through Saturday. No peddling or soliciting on Sundays (8-410, 8-411(f)).
• What the rep carries: The permit and the city identification badge, at all times; the badge is worn plainly visible while working (8-406, 8-411(a)), and the permit is shown to any prospective customer, citizen or city employee who asks (8-407). Neither may be used by anyone else (8-408).
• What takes the time: The full criminal background check from a nationally accredited consumer reporting agency, through the procedure the city sets — the application is not reviewed until the city has it (8-403(e)). Then the director reviews the file (8-403(f)). No processing time is published.
• Code: Hoover Code of Ordinances, Chapter 8, Article XIII — Solicitation and Peddling Regulations (8-400 to 8-414), Ord. No. 16-2301, 6-6-16.
• Worth knowing: Permits expire four months from issue (8-405), so a year of work means three permits. No entry where a "No Peddlers" or "No Solicitors" sign is posted at the home, or at the entrance of a subdivision or apartment complex (8-409). The chief of police may suspend or revoke a permit on the spot for just cause (8-412).
• Read it yourself: Hoover Code, Chapter 8, Article XIII — Solicitation and Peddling Regulations · City of Hoover — Solicitors and Peddlers Permit · checked 21 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down:

• Which background-check vendor the city uses and what it costs
• How many days the Department of Revenue review takes once the background check is in
• Whether the company also needs a Hoover general business license

Clerk’s name ______________ Direct line ______________ Date called ______________