Sacramento, California: door-to-door solicitor permit

• The answer: Yes, if the rep takes money up front. The code requires a solicitor's license for anyone going house to house selling or taking orders for goods or future services, but only for solicitors who "demand, accept or receive payment or deposit of money in advance of final delivery" (5.116.010, 5.116.020). A separate police permit covers house-to-house canvassers of newspapers, magazines and books (5.116.120). The license is written for the person who solicits; the code does not mention a company license.
• Where it comes from: Sacramento City Code Chapter 5.116, Article I, Solicitors Generally. The code says the application goes to the city controller (5.116.030). The Revenue Division's Business Permits and Taxes page lists a Solicitor/Canvasser permit, form SPD 384, among the permits issued by the Police Department, with applications and fees taken at the Revenue Division public counter. The code and the city page name different offices; the city page is the current practice as the city describes it.
• Fee: $159 for the Solicitor/Canvasser permit, per the Revenue Division's permit table. The code puts no dollar figure on it: a nonrefundable application fee is "established by resolution of the city council" and is on top of any business tax under Chapter 3.08 (5.116.080). The city page does not say whether fingerprinting is extra.
• Hours you may knock: Chapter 5.116 sets no knocking hours, and the city's permit page gives none. No other solicitation chapter appears in the Title 5 or Title 9 chapter lists.
• What the rep carries: The code names no badge or ID card. Every order must be in writing, in duplicate, stating the terms and the amount paid in advance, with one copy handed to the buyer (5.116.070).
• What takes the time: A bond in the penal sum of five hundred dollars ($500.00), from a surety company or two responsible freeholders residing in the city, or a cash bond of equal amount, filed with the application (5.116.040). A cash deposit is held ninety (90) days after the license expires (5.116.050). The code names no background check or processing time; the SPD 384 application says application fees are non refundable.
• Code: Sacramento City Code Chapter 5.116, Solicitors and Canvassers: 5.116.010 definition, 5.116.020 license required, 5.116.030 application, 5.116.040 to 5.116.060 bond, 5.116.070 written orders, 5.116.080 fees, 5.116.090 penalty (infraction). The host says the code is current through Supplement No. 4, July 2026, and includes Ordinance 2026-0019, passed August 25, 2026.
• Worth knowing: Article III of the same chapter makes anyone soliciting information for commercial purposes give a disclosure (5.116.170). Chapter 5.116 has no "No Soliciting" sign rule and no do-not-knock registry.
• Read it yourself: City of Sacramento, Business Permits and Taxes · Sacramento Police Department Permit Application SPD 384 · Sacramento City Code Chapter 5.116, Article I, Solicitors Generally · Sacramento City Code Chapter 5.116 (section list) · Sacramento City Code (currency statement) · checked 19 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down: Does the $159 Solicitor/Canvasser permit apply to a rep who takes no money at the door? Is the permit issued per rep or per company, and does the $159 include fingerprinting? Which office takes the application now: the Police Department, the Revenue Division counter, or both? How long does approval take once the $500 bond is filed? Clerk’s name ______________   Direct line ______________   Date called ______________