Mesquite, Texas: door-to-door solicitor permit

• The answer: Yes — a home solicitor must carry a valid solicitor's permit issued by the city manager before engaging in any home solicitation transaction (8-226, 8-211).
• Where it comes from: Mesquite Code of Ordinances, Chapter 8, Article III, Divisions 2 and 3 (Permit to Solicit; Home Solicitations). The written application goes to the police chief; the city police department issues the permit (8-212).
• Fee: $35.00 per application, per the city's Comprehensive Fee Schedule (Appendix D, Article XIII, Police). Chapter 8 itself only says the application "shall be accompanied by a nonrefundable application fee" and points to the fee schedule (8-212(b)(h)).
• Hours you may knock: 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday. No knocking at all on Sunday, New Year's Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day (8-227).
• What the rep carries: The solicitor's permit itself and a valid driver's license or state ID, shown on request of any police officer, code enforcement officer, potential consumer, or any other person (8-211).
• What takes the time: The application requires identity and employer information, vehicle details, and a criminal-history screen (no conviction, probation, or deferred adjudication within the code's lookback windows for homicide, kidnapping, sexual, assaultive, robbery, burglary, felony theft, fraud, weapons, or drug offenses). The city police department must issue the permit within 10 working days of a complete, truthful application. A permit is good for one year (8-212, 8-213).
• Code: Mesquite Code of Ordinances, Chapter 8, Article III, §§ 8-195 through 8-230. Municode's version banner reads "VERSION: MAY 4, 2026 (CURRENT)."
• Worth knowing: A resident can post a weatherproof "NO SOLICITORS" card (at least 3 inches by 4 inches, letters at least two-thirds of an inch tall) near the main entrance; a rep must check for it and leave without knocking if it's posted (8-230). Youth organizations such as Scouts and school groups are exempt from Article III entirely, which does not apply to for-profit commercial sales (8-211(d)(3)).
• Read it yourself: Mesquite Code of Ordinances, Chapter 8, Article III — Solicitors, Vendors and Outdoor Sales · Mesquite Code of Ordinances, Appendix D — Comprehensive Fee Schedule, Article XIII, Police · checked 19 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down: Is the $35 solicitors license per individual rep, or does one application cover a company's whole team? Does a consumer's 3-business-day right to cancel (8-228) apply to a fiber/utility service contract signed at the door? Is there a separate business/company-level registration on top of each rep's individual permit? Clerk’s name ______________   Direct line ______________   Date called ______________