Palm Bay, Florida: door-to-door solicitor permit

• The answer: No city solicitor permit was found. The Palm Bay Code of Ordinances has no peddler, solicitor, canvasser or transient merchant chapter: Title XI, Business Regulations, runs Chapter 110 to Chapter 120, and Chapters 112, 115 and 116 are marked [Reserved]. Title IX (General Regulations) and Title XIII (General Offenses) have no such chapter either. What still applies: the city's business tax receipt for the company (110.16), and Florida's home solicitation sale permit, which state law makes the county clerk's job, not the city's (Fla. Stat. 501.022).
• Where it comes from: No city office issues a solicitor permit, because the code sets none up. The state permit is filed with "the clerk of the circuit court for the county" (Fla. Stat. 501.022(2)); for Palm Bay that is the Brevard County Clerk of the Court, which lists a Palm Bay office among its locations.
• Fee: City: none for knocking; the code names no solicitor permit. County: the Brevard Clerk charges a non-refundable application fee of $100.00 for the state home solicitation permit, due each time a badge is requested; fingerprinting and the state background check are charged separately.
• Hours you may knock: Not set. No section of the Palm Bay code fixes hours for door-to-door sales.
• What the rep carries: Nothing city-issued. A rep who holds the state home solicitation permit must carry it at all times while selling and show it to the buyer before starting the pitch (Fla. Stat. 501.022(8)).
• What takes the time: Nothing at the city. For the state permit: a sworn application, two photos, fingerprints, and a state and sheriff background check that may take up to 60 days to report back (Fla. Stat. 501.022(2)-(3)). The permit is good for 1 year.
• Code: Palm Bay Code of Ordinances Title XI, Business Regulations (Chapters 110 to 120; no solicitor chapter); business tax receipt (110.16, 110.19); Fla. Stat. 501.022. The host shows the code current through Ord. 2026-29, passed 9-3-26.
• Worth knowing: The state permit has exclusions. One is a rep "conducting a sale, lease, or rental of consumer goods or services by sample, catalog, or brochure for future delivery"; another is a visit made on the resident's express invitation (Fla. Stat. 501.022(1)(b)). Whether a given pitch fits an exclusion is a question for the Clerk. The Clerk will not issue the state permit without proof of all required municipal and county business tax receipts, and Palm Bay levies its business tax on anyone with a location or branch office in the city (110.19).
• Read it yourself: Palm Bay Code of Ordinances, Title XI chapter list (read on the Chapter 110 page) · Palm Bay Code Title IX, General Regulations · Palm Bay Code Title XIII, General Offenses · Palm Bay Code 110.16, Business tax receipt required · Palm Bay Code 110.19, Person subject to the business tax · Palm Bay, FL code overview (currency statement) · Fla. Stat. 501.022, Home solicitation sale; permit required · Brevard County Clerk of the Court, Home Solicitation Permit · checked 19 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down: City Clerk (321-952-3414): confirm the city itself issues no solicitor or peddler permit and sets no knocking hours; Brevard Clerk of the Court (321-637-2004): does our product and pitch need the home solicitation sale permit, or does an exclusion in 501.022(1)(b) apply? Does a company with no office in Palm Bay need a Palm Bay business tax receipt before its reps knock? Clerk’s name ______________   Direct line ______________   Date called ______________