Independence, Missouri: door-to-door solicitor permit

Partly read: the permit answer is sourced, but the fee or the hours could not be read from the city’s own pages. The clerk questions below cover the gap.

• The answer: Yes — a solicitor or peddler license. It is unlawful to engage in canvassing, soliciting or peddling in the city without one (5.05.003(A)), and the license is not transferable to any other person (5.05.007). A solicitor is anyone taking orders for merchandise for future delivery or for services to be performed in the future (5.05.001).
• Where it comes from: The License Officer, on a sworn written application (5.05.004). The city's Solicitation page sends applicants to the online Application Portal.
• Fee: The code sets no figure: the fee "shall be paid in accordance with the Schedule of Fees" and the annual fee is assessed on a calendar year basis (5.05.005). The city posts its Schedule of Fees only as an online flipbook, and the solicitor line could not be read there.
• Hours you may knock: 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (5.05.008(D)). No return to the same occupied residence within six months unless an occupant authorized it on the first call.
• What the rep carries: The license, carried at all times and shown on request to any citizen, with identification that matches the holder to the license (5.05.003(B)). The city's Solicitation page adds a government-issued photo I.D. carried or worn at all times.
• What takes the time: The city's Solicitation page says solicitors must pass a criminal history check. The application asks for any felony conviction (5.05.004). No processing time is published.
• Code: Independence City Code, Chapter 5, Article 5 — Solicitors and Peddlers (5.05.001–5.05.010). Municode shows the code as codified through Ordinance No. 19802, adopted April 20, 2026 (Supp. No. 13).
• Worth knowing: The city keeps a no-call list. Any resident may list a property, a copy of the list is handed over with each license, and no license holder may enter a listed property or contact a listed person (5.05.010). A sign at the front door reading "No Solicitation," "No Solicitors," "No Peddlers" or similar also bars the knock (5.05.008(A)). Annual licenses expire on the 31st day of December (5.05.009).
• Read it yourself: Independence City Code, Chapter 5, Article 5 — Solicitors and Peddlers · City of Independence — Solicitation · City of Independence — Schedule of Fees · checked 19 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down:

• The solicitor license fee in the current Schedule of Fees, and whether it is per rep
• How long the criminal history check takes
• Whether a license shorter than the calendar year is offered, and its fee

Clerk’s name ______________ Direct line ______________ Date called ______________