Richardson, Texas: door-to-door solicitor permit

• The answer: Yes — a Non Charitable Solicitor Permit from the Richardson Police Department. No person, directly or through an agent, may solicit house to house to sell goods or services, take orders for future delivery or services, or distribute commercial handbills on private property without first getting a permit (12-141(a)). The application is filed by the person or company and lists the people soliciting; an added fee is charged for each person soliciting (12-142(a), (c)). The permit must be carried and visibly displayed by each rep (12-145).
• Where it comes from: The chief of police (12-142(a)). The Police Department's page says to bring the notarized application and the non-refundable fee to the Richardson Police Department, 200 N. Greenville Avenue.
• Fee: $35.00 plus $10.00 for each additional individual solicitor, per the Master Fee Schedule entry for Sec. 12-142(c); non-refundable. The Police Department FAQ words it as a $35 non-refundable application fee plus $10 per person, check or cash, exact change only; it also says a company with a current permit can add another person for $10 and a replacement permit card is $10. A permit expires at the end of the solicitation period on it or 180 days from issuance, whichever is less (12-148). The code says the fee is not required of individuals operating under state-agency licenses or dealing in interstate commerce (12-142(d)).
• Hours you may knock: Monday through Saturday, not before 9:00 a.m. and not after 30 minutes following sunset. Never on a Sunday, New Year's Day, July Fourth, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, Memorial Day or Veterans Day (12-118). "Sunset" is the time printed on the Dallas Morning News weather page for Dallas (12-116).
• What the rep carries: The city permit, carried on the person and visibly displayed while soliciting; displaying a permit issued in another person's name is unlawful (12-145). The Police FAQ calls it a permit card that must be displayed at all times.
• What takes the time: The chief of police has ten working days from receipt to issue the permit or say what is missing (12-144). The application is sworn before an officer authorized to administer oaths, and the Police Department page says it must be notarized and that incomplete or illegible applications are not processed and the fee is not refunded. The form asks whether the applicant or any rep has been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude (12-142(a)(11)). With a 180-day cap, a year-round team renews twice a year (12-148).
• Code: Richardson Code of Ordinances Chapter 12, Article V, Solicitors, Canvassers, Etc. (12-116 to 12-149), with fees in Appendix B, Master Fee Schedule. Municode shows the code as codified through Ordinance No. 4590, enacted June 15, 2026 (Supp. No. 35, Update 2).
• Worth knowing: Every merchant must check the main entrance for a "NO SOLICITORS" card before knocking and leave at once without disturbing the occupant if one is posted (12-119(a)-(c)). Handbills may be attached to a door with rubber bands only — no tape, tacks or glue — and must carry the distributor's or sponsor's name (12-119(d), (e)). Public utility companies and others operating under a city franchise, and insurance, real estate and other state-licensed salespeople, are exempt from the article (12-117). Soliciting for a purpose other than the one on the application is unlawful (12-146).
• Read it yourself: Richardson Code of Ordinances Chapter 12, Article V, Solicitors, Canvassers, Etc. · Richardson Code of Ordinances Appendix B, Master Fee Schedule · Richardson Police Department, Solicitation Permit · Richardson Police Department, Solicitation F.A.Q. · Richardson Code of Ordinances, title page · checked 19 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down:

• Is the $10.00 charged for every rep, or only for each rep after the first?
• Does a fiber or telecom provider's sales team count as operating under a city franchise for the 12-117 exemption?
• Does each rep get his or her own permit card, and is a background check run before it issues?

Clerk’s name ______________ Direct line ______________ Date called ______________