Lake Elsinore, California: door-to-door solicitor permit

• The answer: Yes — a license from the city before operating as a peddler, solicitor or mobile vendor (5.32.020). A solicitor is anyone who goes house to house taking orders at retail for services, goods or merchandise for future performance or delivery (5.32.010). The license carries the licensee's own photograph (5.32.060), so it reads as one per rep.
• Where it comes from: The city's business license counter — the Business Licenses page says applications for peddlers and solicitors must be obtained there, as additional requirements may apply. The application is referred to the city's law enforcement agency for investigation (5.32.050).
• Fee: Not published. The code leaves the investigation fee and the license rates to City Council resolution (5.32.050, 5.16), and the city's posted License Fee Schedule (revised 01/01/2022) has no peddler or solicitor line.
• Hours you may knock: No peddling or soliciting between half an hour after sunset and half an hour before sunrise (5.32.080). No clock times are set.
• What the rep carries: The code attaches the rep's photograph to the license (5.32.060) but sets no rule on wearing or showing it.
• What takes the time: A law enforcement investigation of business and moral character (5.32.050). The application also needs a 2x2 photo taken within 60 days, where the rep sold in the past five years, the employer's name with credentials, any conviction history, and a statement from a reputable physician of the city, dated within 10 days, that the rep is free of contagious diseases (5.32.030). No processing time is published.
• Code: Lake Elsinore Municipal Code, Chapter 5.32 — Peddlers, Solicitors, and Mobile Vendors (5.32.010 to 5.32.120). Code Publishing shows the code current through Ordinance 1519, passed September 9, 2025.
• Worth knowing: No ringing or knocking at a home showing a "no peddlers" sign (5.32.090). A violation lets the city revoke the licenses of the rep and of the business that employed the rep, and is grounds to deny renewal to both (5.32.120). The license runs one year from issue, or less if asked for (5.32.070).
• Read it yourself: Lake Elsinore Municipal Code, Chapter 5.32 — Peddlers, Solicitors, and Mobile Vendors · Lake Elsinore Municipal Code, Chapter 5.16 — Business Licenses – Fees · City of Lake Elsinore — Business Licenses · City of Lake Elsinore — License Fee Schedule (PDF) · Lake Elsinore Municipal Code — landing page · checked 22 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down:

• The solicitor license fee and the investigation fee, and whether each is per rep or per company
• Whether the physician's health statement in 5.32.030(J) is still required
• How long the police investigation takes

Clerk’s name ______________ Direct line ______________ Date called ______________