St. Petersburg, Florida: door-to-door solicitor permit

• The answer: Yes. Every solicitor, canvasser or peddler needs a City permit from the Police Department before working, per person, and the police issue a photo identification card with it (17-187, 17-188). The city's application form adds that a City Business Tax receipt is also required.
• Where it comes from: St. Petersburg City Code Chapter 17, Article V, Soliciting and Peddling. "Canvasser or solicitor" covers anyone going house to house taking orders for goods or for services to be performed in the future (17-158). Applications go to the Police Department Records Division; the form is linked from the city's Business Tax applications page.
• Fee: $44.00 per applicant, non-refundable. The city's Solicitor/Peddler/Canvasser application prints "THIS FEE HAS BEEN SET AT $44.00." The form is dated REV 10/16/2020, so confirm it. The code says the fee is "as set forth in chapter 12" (17-188), but Chapter 12's schedule (12-6) has no solicitor line.
• Hours you may knock: No knocking between 7:00 p.m. or sunset, whichever is earlier, and 8:00 a.m. the following day (17-160(7)). In winter, sunset is your cutoff.
• What the rep carries: The City permit, shown on demand to a prospective buyer, a law enforcement officer or a code inspector (17-160(1)), plus the police-issued photo identification card (17-188(c)).
• What takes the time: A notarized application, three years of addresses and driver's license history, police fingerprinting and an FBI, FDLE and DMV records check (17-188). Proof of a current state home solicitation permit lets the rep skip the background check and fingerprinting part only (17-188(d)). No processing time is published.
• Code: St. Petersburg City Code 17-158 to 17-160 and 17-187 to 17-189; hours added by Ord. No. 612-H, 8-7-2025. Municode shows the online version as "Jun 8, 2026 (current)."
• Worth knowing: Permits expire every September 30; ones issued in August or September run to September 30 of the next year. Renew 30 to 60 days before expiry (17-189). A "No Peddlers or Solicitors" sign bars both knocking and leaving handbills (17-160(3), (4)). If a rep must hold the state home solicitation permit (F.S. 501.022), it has to be current when applying to the city (17-188(d)). The form says insurance approved by the City's Risk Manager may be required.
• Read it yourself: St. Petersburg City Code Chapter 17, Article V, Soliciting and Peddling · City of St. Petersburg Solicitor/Peddler/Canvasser application (form 15-095, rev. 10/16/2020) · City of St. Petersburg, Business Tax applications and renewals · St. Petersburg City Code Chapter 12, Fees (12-6) · Florida Statutes 501.022 · checked 18 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down: Is the solicitor permit processing fee still $44.00 per applicant? How many days does the Police Records Division take to issue the permit and photo ID? Which business tax category and amount applies to a door-to-door sales company, and does the out-of-town company need its own receipt? When does Risk Management require insurance for solicitors? Clerk’s name ______________   Direct line ______________   Date called ______________