Kenosha, Wisconsin: door-to-door solicitor permit

• The answer: Yes — a peddler license from the City Clerk (13.03(B)). A peddler is any natural person who sells or takes orders for goods or services in the city, whatever the delivery or performance date, on premises he does not own or lease (13.03(D)). Licenses are individual and nontransferable, so one per rep (13.03(N)). Sales by prearranged appointment are excluded (13.03(C)(5)).
• Where it comes from: The Kenosha City Clerk, on the Clerk's forms; the Police Department investigates during the waiting period (13.03(E)).
• Fee: Two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00) per person, per license period or any portion of it, paid in full with the application (13.03(G)). The license period runs October 1 to September 30 with no proration (13.03(H)).
• Hours you may knock: No peddling in a residentially zoned area without a prearranged appointment during the hours of 8:00 P.M. and 8:00 A.M. (13.03(M)).
• What the rep carries: The license, worn conspicuously on the person while working, and produced on demand of any law enforcement officer (13.03(L)).
• What takes the time: A 72-hour waiting period, not counting weekends and holidays, starting at 8:00 A.M. the day after a complete application is filed, while police investigate good moral character (13.03(E)). A felony, or a misdemeanor involving violence or moral turpitude, within two years before applying blocks the license (13.03(D)). Two identical 2x2 color photos go with every application (13.03(F)). Reps who drive for the work also file proof of auto insurance, a driver's license and a vehicle inspection report (13.03(I)-(K)).
• Code: Kenosha Code of General Ordinances, Chapter XIII — Business Licenses, Section 13.03 — Peddlers, with 13.031 and 13.037. Municode shows the code codified through Ordinance No. 22-26, adopted June 15, 2026.
• Worth knowing: It is unlawful for a company to hire, contract with or use an unlicensed peddler, and each day counts as a separate violation (13.031). No peddling on private property posted with a sign prohibiting it (13.037). A separate section makes it unlawful to sell or take orders on private property where the owner has not given written permission (13.036).
• Read it yourself: Kenosha Code of General Ordinances, Chapter XIII — Business Licenses (13.03 Peddlers) · Kenosha Code of Ordinances — landing page · checked 21 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down:

• Whether 13.036 (written permission of the owner) is enforced against door-to-door reps who hold a peddler license
• Whether a license bought in August still runs only to September 30
• Whether the police investigation can clear a large team faster than 72 hours

Clerk’s name ______________ Direct line ______________ Date called ______________