Palo Alto, California: door-to-door solicitor permit

Partly read: the permit answer is sourced, but the fee or the hours could not be read from the city’s own pages. The clerk questions below cover the gap.

• The answer: Yes — a permit from the Palo Alto Police Department. The city's own crime-prevention handout says all commercial solicitors are required to have one. The code chapter behind it could not be read, so who counts as a solicitor and what the permit covers are not confirmed here. For the full list of questions, use the City Clerk Call Sheet.
• Where it comes from: The Palo Alto Police Department (PAPD). The handout lists 650-329-2147 for solicitor permits.
• Fee: Not published where we looked. The Police section of the city's FY 2027 Adopted Municipal Fee Schedule has no solicitor or peddler permit line, and the code chapter was blocked.
• Hours you may knock: Not read. The code chapter was blocked, and no city page we read lists door-to-door hours.
• What the rep carries: Not read from the code. The council's administrative penalty schedule lists a section titled "Identification cards for solicitors" (4.10.055), which points to an ID card, but its text was not read. The handout tells residents to ask to see the permit.
• What takes the time: Not read. The code chapter was blocked.
• Code: Palo Alto Municipal Code, hosted on American Legal Publishing; the solicitor chapter could not be read there (the host blocked automated reading), so its title is not given here. Resolution No. 10272 names the sections "Regulations for solicitors and peddlers" (4.10.050) and "Identification cards for solicitors" (4.10.055). The section text was not read.
• Worth knowing: The city's handout tells residents to post a "No Solicitors" sign. Whether the code makes knocking at a posted door a violation was not read.
• Read it yourself: City of Palo Alto — Crime Prevention Basics (PDF) · City of Palo Alto — FY 2027 Adopted Municipal Fee Schedule (PDF) · Palo Alto Resolution No. 10272 — Administrative Penalty Schedule (PDF) · Palo Alto Municipal Code on American Legal (blocked, not read) · checked 23 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down:

• Whether a door-to-door rep taking orders for a service (such as fiber internet) needs the PAPD solicitor permit, and whether it is per rep or per company
• What the solicitor permit costs, since it is not on the FY 2027 Municipal Fee Schedule
• What hours door-to-door sales are allowed, and the code section
• Whether a background check, fingerprints or an ID card are required, and how long approval takes

Clerk’s name ______________ Direct line ______________ Date called ______________