Richmond, California: door-to-door solicitor permit

• The answer: Yes, and it is two documents per rep: a city license from the Tax Collector and a separate written permit from the Chief of Police. It is unlawful to go door to door for the purpose of peddling or soliciting without first obtaining a license (7.40.020(a)), and unlawful to work "without first procuring a written permit to do so from the chief of police" (7.40.030(b)). A SOLICITOR is anyone who travels door to door taking or attempting to take orders for goods or for services to be furnished in the future, whether or not they carry a sample or collect advance payments (7.40.010). Both applications are personal — the license application takes the individual's name, description and residence addresses (7.40.020(b)).
• Where it comes from: Two offices. The license application goes to the Tax Collector on a sworn written form the Tax Collector furnishes (7.40.020(b)); the Tax Collector issues the license and keeps a permanent record (7.40.020(e)). The police permit application goes to the Chief of Police on the Chief's form (7.40.030(c)). The city's Master Fee Schedule notes that the Peddlers and Solicitors Police Permit is paid at the Business License Unit.
• Fee: The Master Fee Schedule effective July 23, 2026 lists, under Police Department Fees, a Peddlers & Solicitors Police Permit at 15.00 for the initial permit and 7.00 for a renewal, each "plus Business License permit; paid at Business License Unit." The schedule prints its fee columns as bare numbers with no dollar sign; these are dollars. The business license on top of that is not a flat fee — Richmond taxes gross receipts. Retail sales, which the code defines to include peddlers, is Class A, and a Class A business with annual gross receipts "Not over $1,000,000.00" pays "$1.20 per $1,000.00 of annual gross receipts" (7.04.130, 7.04.205(a)). A solicitor who takes payment or a deposit before final delivery also posts a bond in the penal sum of $500.00, by surety company, by two responsible property owners living in the city, or as a cash bond (7.40.040).
• Hours you may knock: The code sets no knocking hours. Chapter 7.40 covers definitions, the license, the police permit, bonds, revocation, signed premises, appeals, farm-product labeling and a religious exemption, and never names a time of day. Article VII lists no other peddler or solicitor chapter. Ask the police Business License Unit before planning an evening shift.
• What the rep carries: The police permit, worn where a customer can see it: "Any persons holding a police permit issued pursuant to this section are required to affix the same to their outer garment in the area of the left breast pocket while engaged in the act of peddling or soliciting" (7.40.030(i)). Working without the permit in possession is itself unlawful. The license names the licensee, the employer, the product or service, the license number, the fee paid, the dates of issuance and expiration, and any vehicle used (7.40.020(e)).
• What takes the time: The police investigation. The Chief of Police must investigate "the moral character and business responsibility of the applicant" within a reasonable time after filing, and must disapprove the application if that comes back unsatisfactory or if the applicant has been convicted of a felony, of a misdemeanor for violating a business-regulating ordinance, or of a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude (7.40.030(f), (g)). No processing deadline is published — the code says only "within a reasonable time." The application also asks for employer credentials establishing the exact relationship between rep and employer (7.40.030(c)(4)). The police permit expires on the same date the business license expires (7.40.030(d)).
• Code: Richmond Municipal Code Article VII, Chapter 7.40, Peddlers and Solicitors (7.40.010 to 7.40.500), with the business tax in Chapter 7.04, Business Licenses. Municode shows the Richmond Municipal Code as codified through Ordinance No. 02-26 N.S., enacted March 3, 2026 (Supp. No. 74). Fees are in the Approved Master Fee Schedule Effective July 23, 2026.
• Worth knowing: A posted sign ends the knock: "It shall be unlawful for any person to peddle or solicit at any premises within the City of Richmond which are posted with a clearly visible sign bearing the words 'No Peddlers or Solicitors' or similar words of the same purpose and effect" (7.40.060). Either the Tax Collector, the Chief of Police or the Director of Public Health can revoke a license or permit for fraud or misrepresentation in the application, for violating the chapter, or for conduct that breaches the peace (7.40.050). Referral selling — offering the buyer a rebate or commission for leads — needs its own $500.00 bond (7.40.042). A denial or revocation can be appealed to the City Council within 14 days (7.40.070).
• Read it yourself: Richmond Municipal Code Chapter 7.40, Peddlers and Solicitors · Richmond Municipal Code Chapter 7.04, Business Licenses · City of Richmond Approved Master Fee Schedule, effective July 23, 2026 · Richmond Municipal Code Article VII, Businesses, table of sections · Richmond Municipal Code, Municode title page · checked 20 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down:

• How long the Chief of Police's moral character and business responsibility investigation usually takes
• What the business license costs a rep or a company with no Richmond gross receipts yet
• Whether the $500.00 solicitor bond can be one bond per company or must be one per rep
• Whether the city enforces any hours for door-to-door solicitation

Clerk’s name ______________ Direct line ______________ Date called ______________