Palatine, Illinois: door-to-door solicitor permit

• The answer: Yes — a certificate of registration from the chief of police before soliciting at residences, and a village name tag or badge worn in plain view (20-693, 20-699(a), 20-700(b), (c)). Soliciting includes seeking orders for goods or services of any kind (20-692).
• Where it comes from: The Palatine Police Department — the application is filed with the chief of police (20-694(a)).
• Fee: Per the village fee schedule adopted by Ordinance No. O-71-26 (effective June 15, 2026): Solicitor Registration annual fee $42, Solicitors application fee $30, and Solicitor Registration daily activity fee $14 (20-699, 20-702). The police department's application sheet (older, February 2025) assigns the registration fee to the business, the application fee (fingerprints and badge) to each applicant, and the daily fee per person per day.
• Hours you may knock: No soliciting before 9:00 a.m. on a weekday or Saturday, after 7:00 p.m. on a weekday or after 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, or at any time on a Sunday or a state or national holiday, registered or not (20-701). The police department's web page still lists older, longer evening hours; the code is the later text.
• What the rep carries: The certificate of registration, in possession and clearly displayed (20-692), and a village name tag or badge showing the rep's name, badge number and expiration date, clearly visible to the resident (20-699(a), 20-700(c)).
• What takes the time: Two 1½-inch color head-and-shoulder photos with the application (20-694(c)). The code says a complete application is generally issued within two to five working days (20-696); the police application sheet says to allow ten business days, and each applicant is fingerprinted for a background check by appointment — no walk-ins.
• Code: Palatine Code of Ordinances, Chapter 20 — Licenses, Permits and Business Regulations, Article VI — Solicitors (20-692 to 20-703), on Municode, from Ord. No. O-71-24 (8-5-2024). Municode shows the code codified through Ordinance No. O-68-26, enacted June 15, 2026 (Supp. No. 2, Update 1).
• Worth knowing: Residents may post village cards: "NO SOLICITORS INVITED," "ONLY SOLICITORS REGISTERED IN PALATINE INVITED," or others; a posted card binds the rep (20-698, 20-699(b), 20-700(a)). Solicitors for a holder of a village cable communications franchise pay no fee beyond the registration fee (20-702). A rep with a felony conviction within ten years has the license revoked (20-703(a)(5)).
• Read it yourself: Palatine Code, Chapter 20, Article VI — Solicitors · Palatine Ordinance No. O-71-26 — Fee Schedule Supplement (Municode) · Palatine Ordinance No. O-71-26 — Fee Schedule Supplement (PDF) · Village of Palatine — Solicitor Information & Permits · Village of Palatine Police — Solicitor application (PDF) · checked 23 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down:

• Whether the $42 annual registration is paid once by the company or by each rep
• Whether the $14 daily fee is charged per rep for every day on the street, and how days are counted
• Whether processing takes the code's two to five working days or the application sheet's ten business days, and when fingerprint appointments are available

Clerk’s name ______________ Direct line ______________ Date called ______________