Kirkland, Washington: 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 — the company needs a City of Kirkland business license. It is unlawful to engage in any business in the city without one (7.02.040(a)), soliciting sales in the city counts as engaging in business (7.02.030(d)(3)(C)), and that applies wherever the company is based (7.02.040(d)). The city's license pages list no separate door-to-door or solicitor license. A W-2 employee does not need a license of his own (7.02.060(a)); a rep paid as an independent contractor is presumed not to be an employee.
• Where it comes from: Applications and renewals go through the Washington State Department of Revenue Business Licensing Service (BLS) portal, which processes Kirkland's licenses, per the city's Apply for a Business License page.
• Fee: For a business based outside Kirkland, the city page sets the fee by gross receipts earned in the city: $20,000 or more pays a base fee of $100 plus $130 per employee working full-time in Kirkland (minimum fee $230); $4,001 to $20,000 pays a registration fee of $50; below $4,000 no license is required. New businesses also pay a $50.00 registration fee to the Department of Revenue.
• Hours you may knock: Not read. The Kirkland Municipal Code is hosted on kirkland.municipal.codes, which returned a bot check, and neither Chapter 7.02 nor the city's license pages set knocking hours. Ask the city, or see the City Clerk Call Sheet.
• What the rep carries: Nothing is set in Chapter 7.02 or on the city's license pages for door-to-door reps.
• What takes the time: A business license application through the state BLS portal. No background check or per-rep step is written in Chapter 7.02, and no processing time is published.
• Code: Kirkland Municipal Code Chapter 7.02 — Business Licenses and Regulations (7.02.030, 7.02.040, 7.02.060, 7.02.120), read from the city's own PDF of the chapter, which states it is current through Ordinance 4821, passed November 1, 2022.
• Read it yourself: Kirkland Municipal Code Chapter 7.02 — Business Licenses and Regulations (city PDF) · City of Kirkland — Apply for a Business License · Kirkland Municipal Code on municipal.codes (blocked) · checked 21 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down:

• Whether Kirkland has any separate solicitor or peddler license beyond the business license
• What hours door-to-door sales are allowed
• Whether commission-only reps paid on a 1099 each need their own Kirkland business license

Clerk’s name ______________ Direct line ______________ Date called ______________