Pembroke Pines, Florida: door-to-door solicitor permit

• The answer: Yes. Every individual rep is a "canvasser or solicitor" under the code (113.01) and must hold a permit and local business tax receipt before going house to house taking orders for goods or services (113.03).
• Where it comes from: Pembroke Pines Code of Ordinances, Chapter 113, §§ 113.01–113.09. The application is filed with the City Clerk (113.04).
• Fee: "At the time of filing the application, a fee of $20 shall be paid to the City Clerk to cover the cost of investigation of the facts stated therein" (113.04(B)) — a per-applicant investigation fee. Section 113.05(C) also requires "payment of the prescribed applicable local business tax receipt fees" before the permit issues, but the code does not print that separate business-tax-receipt dollar amount in this chapter.
• Hours you may knock: "It shall be unlawful to canvass or solicit for commercial or charitable organizations between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. of the following forenoon" (113.07(A)) — so 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. is allowed.
• What the rep carries: The application itself requires "a photograph of the applicant, taken within 60 days... at least two inches by two inches, showing the head and shoulders... and fingerprints of the applicant" (113.04(A)(5)). The code requires exhibiting the local business tax receipt "at the request of any citizen" (113.06), and a police officer may demand it if the solicitor isn't known to be licensed (113.08).
• What takes the time: The City Clerk sends the applicant's data to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for a criminal background report before the permit can issue (113.05(A)); an unsatisfactory result gets the application disapproved in writing (113.05(B)).
• Code: Pembroke Pines Code of Ordinances §§ 113.01, 113.03 to 113.09. Read via American Legal Publishing. The host's own supplement note reads: "2026 S-61 Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ord. 2056, passed 12-11-25."
• Worth knowing: Right-of-way canvassing/soliciting to vehicles is separately banned outright on six named roads — Pines Boulevard, Pembroke Road, University Drive, Sheridan Street, Dykes Road and Flamingo Road — and within 200 feet of any intersection on them (113.09(C)); that's a median/roadway rule, not a house-to-house one. A posted "No Soliciting," "No Peddlers or Agents" or similar sign, or a resident's refusal, is enforceable against a solicitor even inside permitted hours (113.07(B)).
• Read it yourself: Pembroke Pines Code of Ordinances § 113.01 Definitions · Pembroke Pines Code of Ordinances § 113.03 · Pembroke Pines Code of Ordinances § 113.04 · Pembroke Pines Code of Ordinances § 113.05 · Pembroke Pines Code of Ordinances § 113.06 · Pembroke Pines Code of Ordinances § 113.07 · Pembroke Pines Code of Ordinances § 113.08 · Pembroke Pines Code of Ordinances § 113.09 · checked 19 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down: What is the dollar amount of the local business tax receipt fee referenced in 113.05(C), on top of the $20 investigation fee? Is the $20 fee and background check required per individual rep, or can it cover a company's whole crew under one company permit? How long does the FDLE background check in 113.05 typically take before a permit issues? Clerk’s name ______________   Direct line ______________   Date called ______________