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

• The answer: Yes — a solicitation license from the City Manager, with a photo identification badge worn while working. Every solicitor selling or offering to sell goods, wares, merchandise, services or property door to door must get one first; selling to businesses and commercial establishments is carved out (35-163(a)). The application is sworn, personal and fingerprinted, so it is a license per rep (35-163(b)). The city also requires a Palm Coast business tax receipt — failing to hold the required county or municipal receipt is itself a ground to deny the license (35-163(d)(3)).
• Where it comes from: The City Manager or a designee, through the Business Tax Receipt office. The city's own help page says the application is submitted in person at Palm Coast City Hall, 160 Lake Avenue. Palm Coast City Code Chapter 35, Article III, Division 2, Peddlers and Hawkers.
• Fee: $55.00. The code does not print a number — the administrative processing fee "shall be established by resolution of the City Council" and is paid when the application is filed (35-163(i)) — but the city's own door-to-door solicitation permit help page states a $55.00 administrative fee. On top of that, the rep pays the Sheriff's fingerprinting fee at the time the prints are taken (35-163(c)(3)), and the company needs a City of Palm Coast Business Tax Receipt. Neither of those two amounts is published with the code.
• Hours you may knock: 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. It is unlawful for a solicitor to conduct door-to-door sales, promotions or solicitations at any residence between 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. (35-168(d)). That is a hard stop at six, year round.
• What the rep carries: The license identification badge, worn at all times while soliciting and visible to residents (35-163(h)). The license and personal identification must also be displayed on proper demand of any law enforcement officer (35-166). Licenses are not transferable (35-165).
• What takes the time: A level II background check. The rep completes the FDLE Civil Applicant Payment System forms online, reports to the Sheriff's Office for fingerprinting and pays that fee, and the Sheriff routes the results to the City Manager, who then recommends approval or denial in writing (35-163(c), (d)). The sworn application also wants date of birth, permanent and local addresses, employer, two recent color two-by-two-inch photographs, a complete set of fingerprints taken by an authorized law enforcement agency, and a statement of any conviction or plea (35-163(b)). No processing deadline is published. Get the business tax receipt in hand first — its absence is a ground for denial (35-163(d)(3)). The license runs up to 12 months (35-163(h)).
• Code: Palm Coast City Code Chapter 35, Article III, Division 2 (35-162 to 35-171), from Ord. No. 03-31 and amended by Ord. No. 2023-18, adopted December 5, 2023. Division 1 of the same article covers street and roadway solicitation (35-101 et seq.). Municode shows the code as codified through Ordinance No. 2026-04, enacted May 5, 2026 (Supp. No. 44), content updated August 24, 2026.
• Worth knowing: A "No Peddler or Solicitors" sign, or words of similar import, makes ringing the bell or knocking unlawful (35-168(b)). A rep must give the name of the company, product or organization on request and leave immediately if asked (35-168(c)). The license can be suspended up to 90 days for false information on the application or for conduct violating the ordinance, and revoked after a hearing before the City Hearing Officer (35-169, 35-170). Soliciting without a license is penalized under F.S. 501.055 and chapter 775, and any violation of the division is a misdemeanor carrying a fine of not more than $1,000.00 plus costs, or up to 60 days, or both (35-171). The code takes its exemptions straight from F.S. 501.022(b) (35-163(j)), and the state home solicitation sale permit is filed with the clerk of the circuit court — here, Flagler. Street-side, soliciting within 300 feet of a school bus stop or within 12 feet of an ATM is unlawful (35-103).
• Read it yourself: Palm Coast City Code Chapter 35, Article III, Solicitation (Division 2, Peddlers and Hawkers) · City of Palm Coast, How do I Apply for a Door To Door Solicitation Permit? · Palm Coast Code of Ordinances, title page · Florida Statutes 501.022, Home solicitation sale; permit required · checked 20 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down:

• Is the $55.00 administrative fee still current, and is it charged per rep?
• What does the City of Palm Coast Business Tax Receipt cost for a door-to-door sales company, and must the company hold it before any rep applies?
• What does the Sheriff charge for the level II fingerprinting, and how long does the CWCS result take to come back?
• Can a company apply for several reps at once, or must each rep appear in person at City Hall?

Clerk’s name ______________ Direct line ______________ Date called ______________