Springfield, Illinois: door-to-door solicitor permit

• The answer: Yes — a solicitor's license. No person may solicit any merchandise or services in the city without one, and the applicant must show current state-issued photo ID (110.379(a)). A peddler carrying goods for sale needs a peddler's license instead (110.370). The code exempts a solicitor who generally solicits purchases of less than $100 from a single purchaser in a single solicitation (110.379(c)).
• Where it comes from: The Springfield City Clerk's Office issues it; the approving authority is the mayor (110.379(a)). The clerk's page says to come into the office to fill out the application, with photo ID.
• Fee: Per the City Clerk's license page: 1 day $10.00, 1 month $25.00, 2 months $40.00, 1 year $80.00; after July 1 a one-year license is $40.00. The code sets the same four terms (110.379(a)).
• Hours you may knock: Only between 9:00 a.m. and 7:30 p.m., unless the occupant has given prior written consent (110.380).
• What the rep carries: Before entering a dwelling the rep must give his or her name and the company represented (110.381(a)). The code's plastic-coated ID card worn on the outer garment is written for licensed peddlers (110.370(e)); the solicitor section sets no badge.
• What takes the time: An in-person application at the City Clerk's Office with current state-issued photo ID, and mayoral approval (110.379(a)). No background check and no processing time are published for this license.
• Code: Springfield Code of Ordinances, Title XI, Chapter 110, Article XXXVI — Itinerant Merchants, Peddlers, and Solicitors: Division 3, Solicitors (110.379 to 110.382), amended by Ord. No. 366-10-11 of 10-10-11.
• Worth knowing: No soliciting on premises posted "NO SOLICITORS" on a sign at least three inches by four inches near the main entrance (110.382). A rep must leave when the occupant asks, and it is a nuisance to enter a dwelling without being admitted by an adult or to keep pitching after a no (110.380, 110.381(b)). Licenses can be suspended or revoked under 110.013.
• Read it yourself: Springfield Code, Ch. 110, Art. XXXVI — Itinerant Merchants, Peddlers, and Solicitors · Springfield City Clerk — City Licenses/Permits · checked 21 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down:

• Whether the $70 background form fee on the clerk's page applies to a solicitor's license
• Whether a monthly service contract (fiber, security, pest) counts as a purchase of less than $100 under the 110.379(c) exemption
• How long mayoral approval takes after the application is filed

Clerk’s name ______________ Direct line ______________ Date called ______________