Newport Beach, California: door-to-door solicitor permit

• The answer: Yes — a solicitor permit (registration card) from the Newport Beach Police Department before any commercial solicitation, and every commercial solicitor carries a card, so it is per rep (5.42.025, as cited by the police page). Holding a Newport Beach business license does not exempt a company from registering. Noncommercial solicitors, such as political or religious canvassers, do not register.
• Where it comes from: The Newport Beach Police Department front desk, 870 Santa Barbara Drive, on NBPD Form 23.1, the Solicitors Registration Card Application. Questions go to the Records Unit.
• Fee: $50 per person, per the police Soliciting page. The application form prints the same fee as $50.00 per person, multiplied by the number of solicitors listed.
• Hours you may knock: All solicitation is prohibited in all areas of Newport Beach between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m., per the police Soliciting page.
• What the rep carries: The police-issued registration card, carried at all times while soliciting in the city (5.42.025, as cited by the city's Solicitor Application page).
• What takes the time: The application form says it must be completed 10 days prior to the start of solicitation, and the police page says applicants get a reply within 10 calendar days of a complete application and payment. The form asks for the company's details, each supervisor and each solicitor by name and date of birth, and the solicitation period and times.
• Code: Newport Beach Municipal Code, Chapter 5.42 (solicitation and handbills), sections 5.42.020, 5.42.025, 5.42.120 and 5.42.125, as cited on the city and police pages. The code itself now sits on eCode360 and could not be opened, so section headings and the code's currency statement were not read.
• Worth knowing: The city keeps a "Do Not Solicit" registry that solicitors can download; soliciting at a home that displays a "No Soliciting" sign or is on the registry violates 5.42.125, which the police page quotes in full. Residents must renew their registry sign-up each year, so the list changes.
• Read it yourself: Newport Beach Police Department — Soliciting · NBPD Form 23.1 — Solicitors Registration Card Application (PDF) · City of Newport Beach — Information for Solicitors · City of Newport Beach — Solicitor Application · City of Newport Beach — Frequently Asked Questions for Solicitors · checked 22 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down:

• How long the registration card stays valid, and whether it is tied to the solicitation period on the form
• Whether the company also needs a Newport Beach business license on top of the per-rep registration
• Whether reps are fingerprinted or background-checked as part of the 10-day review

Clerk’s name ______________ Direct line ______________ Date called ______________