McKinney, Texas: door-to-door solicitor permit

• The answer: Yes. A solicitor's permit from the Police Department, per rep: "Each person engaged in peddling or soliciting or selling" door to door must have one, and it is personal to the applicant (78-3(a)). Each rep also gets a city identification card.
• Where it comes from: McKinney Code of Ordinances Sec. 78-3, Permits. Permits come from McKinney Police Records, 2200 Taylor Burk Dr.; the city's Solicitor's Permit page has the application packet.
• Fee: $35.00 non-refundable application fee for each applicant named on the application, plus $15.00 for each identification card issued, per the city's application packet. The code's fee schedule (Appendix A, Sec. 78-3) lists the same 35.00 and 15.00.
• Hours you may knock: 9:00 a.m. to sunset, Monday through Saturday. No soliciting at a private residence after sunset or before 9:00 a.m., and none on Sunday, New Year's Day, Fourth of July, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving or Christmas Day (78-5). Sunset is the National Weather Service time for the city.
• What the rep carries: The identification card carried and the permit displayed on the person in plain view (78-3(h)). The rep must identify himself as a salesman on approach and show the permit on request (78-3(i)).
• What takes the time: A police background check on every person listed (78-3(e)); the code says the permit is issued within ten days after a complete application is filed, and the city's page says to allow up to 10 business days. The application must be notarized, with two photos, five references, a driver's license copy and an employer letter for each rep. The packet also asks for a $5000 cash bond per applicant, a $5,000 Surety Bond, or a liability insurance certificate naming the city; the code requires the $5,000.00 cash bond from anyone taking deposits or writing contracts for future delivery or future services (78-3(o)).
• Code: 78-3 (permits, fee, background check, bond), 78-4 (prohibited locations and conduct), 78-5 (times), Appendix A (fees). Municode shows the code as codified through Ordinance No. 2022-12-145, enacted December 20, 2022 (Supp. No. 37), and flags Chapter 78 as amended by Ordinance No. 2025-09-090, which only adds Sec. 78-9 on aggressive panhandling.
• Worth knowing: Permits last for the time requested, not to exceed six months (78-3(f)). A residence showing a "NO SOLICITORS" card or sign is off limits (78-4(a)(3), 78-4(c)(6)). The permit holder must stay inside the city limits while the crew works and answer a city call within ten minutes (78-3(k)). More than one misconduct complaint against a company's solicitors can get the permit revoked immediately (78-3(l)(3)). Franchised utilities and people licensed by the state register with the police instead and pay no fee (78-3(n)(1)).
• Read it yourself: McKinney Code Sec. 78-3, Permits · McKinney Code Sec. 78-5, Times when soliciting prohibited · McKinney Code Sec. 78-4, Prohibited location, activities and conduct · McKinney Code Appendix A, Schedule of Fees · McKinney Police, Solicitor's Permit · City of McKinney, Solicitor's License / Permit packet · checked 18 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down: Will the city take a surety bond or insurance certificate in place of the cash bond for every applicant, as the packet says? Does a fiber or utility contractor working for a franchise holder count as exempt under 78-3(n)(1)? Are the 35.00 and 15.00 fees still current, given the packet is dated 4/6/17? Clerk’s name ______________   Direct line ______________   Date called ______________