Santa Fe, New Mexico: 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 solicitation license from the City of Santa Fe. It is unlawful to engage in solicitation without one (18-3.6(A)), and licenses cannot be assigned or transferred (18-3.6(B)). Solicitation covers anyone going on private property to take orders for goods or services delivered or performed later, or to sell with immediate delivery; a "person" means an individual (18-3.4). Charitable, religious and political solicitation is exempt from the license (18-3.5).
• Where it comes from: The city's accounts receivable office, which holds the application; the chief of police runs the criminal background check at the office's request (18-3.7(A), 18-3.8(A)).
• Fee: The code says the application fee is "established by resolution of the governing body" and paid when the application is submitted (18-3.7(D)); renewal fees are set the same way (18-3.9(C)). No amount is in the code, and no fee resolution or fee page for the solicitation license was found on santafenm.gov. The background check is at the applicant's expense (18-3.7(B)).
• Hours you may knock: 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. — no knocking or ringing at any residence after 8:00 p.m. or earlier than 10:00 a.m. unless invited (18-3.11(D)).
• What the rep carries: A photo ID and a copy of the license; a rep working for someone else also carries written authorization from that company and a copy of the company's license. All of it is shown immediately to anyone approached and to any law enforcement officer (18-3.11(A)).
• What takes the time: The application goes in at least fifteen (15) calendar days before the rep plans to start (18-3.7(C)). It asks for a photo, Social Security number, ten years of employment history, all convictions and citations including dismissed or expunged cases, and a notarized signature consenting to a criminal background check (18-3.7(A), (B)). A felony or serious misdemeanor conviction such as theft, fraud or burglary disqualifies (18-3.8(D)).
• Code: Santa Fe City Code (SFCC 1987), Section 18-3 — Solicitation, the "Solicitation Ordinance" (18-3.1 to 18-3.14), Ord. #2010-23. Municode shows the code codified through Ordinance No. 2026-8, adopted March 25, 2026.
• Worth knowing: No knocking where the occupant has objected, orally, in writing or by a "No Solicitation" sign or decal (18-3.11(B)). Abusive solicitation is barred, including coming closer than three feet or repeating a pitch after an objection (18-3.11(C)). The license holder answers for everyone working under it (18-3.14(A)), a license lasts up to one year (18-3.9(A)), and a violation can mean revocation and a one-year bar (18-3.14(B)).
• Read it yourself: Santa Fe City Code, Section 18-3 — Solicitation · Santa Fe City Code (currency statement) · checked 21 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down:

• What the solicitation license application fee and renewal fee are, and which resolution sets them
• What the criminal background check costs the applicant
• Whether a company license covers its reps, or each rep files a separate application

Clerk’s name ______________ Direct line ______________ Date called ______________