Janesville, Wisconsin: door-to-door solicitor permit

• The answer: Yes — a solicitor permit, held by each person before any solicitation (12-427). Solicitation covers taking or attempting to take orders for the later delivery of goods or services anywhere other than the seller's own business or home (12-423). Each person files, pays and holds a permit, so it is one per rep.
• Where it comes from: The City Clerk takes the registration form and fee, the Chief of Police approves or disapproves it, and the Clerk issues the permit (12-429, 12-431).
• Fee: $130.00 for direct sellers and solicitors, per the code's fee schedule (Appendix A, under 12-430). The fee is non-refundable (12-430(c)).
• Hours you may knock: No calling at any dwelling between 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. except by appointment (12-424(1)).
• What the rep carries: The permit itself — "holding" is defined as physical possession of the issued permit (12-423). After the greeting the rep states his name, the company and what is being sold before anything else (12-425).
• What takes the time: A registration form with personal description, employer details, vehicle, the last three cities worked, five years of related convictions, and two photographs at least 2 by 2 inches, plus a driver's license shown to the Clerk (12-430). The Chief of Police may investigate before approving (12-431). No processing time and no permit term are published.
• Code: Janesville Code of General Ordinances, Chapter 12, Article XIV — Solicitors (12-421 to 12-437), and Appendix A — Fee Schedule. Municode shows the code codified through Ordinance No. 2025-925, enacted January 12, 2026 (Supp. No. 18).
• Worth knowing: No calling where a "No Peddlers" or "No Solicitors" sign is posted, and no calling at a rear door at any time (12-424). The rep must tell the buyer, verbally and in writing, of the right to cancel until midnight of the third night, and give a signed written statement with the order (12-426). Records of every contact and transaction are kept seven years (12-433). Violations carry a forfeiture of $50.00 to $1,000.00 per offense (12-436).
• Read it yourself: Janesville Code, Chapter 12, Article XIV — Solicitors · Janesville Code, Appendix A — Fee Schedule · Janesville Code of General Ordinances — landing page · checked 23 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down:

• How long a solicitor permit is valid before it must be renewed
• How many days the police review usually takes
• Whether a sales company needs any license of its own besides each rep's permit

Clerk’s name ______________ Direct line ______________ Date called ______________