Mesa, Arizona: door-to-door solicitor permit

• The answer: Yes — a peddler and solicitor license, and it is issued to a natural person, so every rep needs their own (5-8-2, 5-8-3(A)). Taking orders for future service counts as soliciting.
• Where it comes from: The City’s Licensing Office in Business Services, 55 North Center Street. The Police Department reviews every application (5-8-3(D)).
• Fee: $10.00 application fee plus $25.00 background investigation fee, both non-refundable and due with the application, then a $100 license fee at approval. Renewal is $100 a year. Figures are from the city’s application packet; the code points to the schedule of fees and charges (5-8-6). The fingerprint vendor charges its own fee, listed on the fingerprint form.
• Hours you may knock: No door-to-door work from dusk or 8:00 P.M., whichever comes first, to dawn or 8:00 A.M. the next day (5-8-5(D)(3)). That covers residential and commercial doors.
• What the rep carries: The license, on the rep’s person, shown to any City official on demand (5-8-5(B)). The packet also asks for a government-issued photo ID at application.
• What takes the time: A full set of fingerprints for anyone going door to door, run through Arizona DPS and the FBI (5-8-3(E)), then sign-off from Police, Tax Audit and Collections, and Licensing. The code sets no number of days. Renewals are due 45 days before expiration or the license dies (5-8-3(F)).
• Code: Mesa City Code Title 5, Chapter 8, sections 5-8-1 to 5-8-9 (Ord. No. 5621, 2021). Municode shows the version dated Jun 29, 2026 as current.
• Worth knowing: A posted “no soliciting” or “no peddling” sign is binding; knocking there is a violation (5-8-5(D)(4)). Working without a license is a Class One Misdemeanor (5-8-8(C)). Reps under 18 and newspaper sellers are exempt (5-8-4). The packet also asks for an Arizona TPT license with the Mesa region code.
• Read it yourself: Mesa City Code Title 5, Chapter 8 · City of Mesa peddler license application packet · City of Mesa Specialty Business License page · checked 18 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down: How many days the police review and fingerprint check are running right now; Whether a rep who drives no vehicle can skip the vehicle documents in the packet; The current fingerprint processing fee at the city’s vendor. Clerk’s name ______________   Direct line ______________   Date called ______________