Suffolk, Virginia: door-to-door solicitor permit

• The answer: Yes — a solicitor's permit, per rep. Everyone must register with the Chief of Police before entering residential premises to solicit (62-32), and soliciting without a permit is prohibited (62-35(4)). A solicitor is anyone going door to door to homes to sell or take orders for goods or services (62-31).
• Where it comes from: The Suffolk Police Department. The Chief of Police takes the registration and the fee (62-32, 62-33(b)); the city's "Application for Soliciting Door-to-Door" is posted on the police Forms page and must be notarized.
• Fee: The code says the fee is set by city council and on file with the City Clerk, paid to the Chief of Police and not refundable (62-33(b)). The police application form says a $15.00 non-refundable application fee must accompany it. On top of that, each registration comes with a bond of $500.00 per individual solicitor, by surety company, two city freeholders, or cash (62-34).
• Hours you may knock: Chapter 62 sets no knocking hours. None are printed on the application form either.
• What the rep carries: The permit, carried at all times while soliciting and shown to anyone who asks to see it (62-33(a)).
• What takes the time: The sworn, notarized application with physical description, vehicle, employer and any felony or misdemeanor convictions (62-32). A permit is issued unless the applicant has been convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude (62-33(a)). The $500.00 bond per rep (62-34). No processing time is published.
• Code: Suffolk Code of Ordinances, Chapter 62 — Peddlers and Solicitors, Article II — Commercial Solicitation (62-31 to 62-36).
• Worth knowing: The permit is good for one year and is void on conviction of a violation of the article (62-33(a)). No entering residential premises that display a "No Soliciting" sign, and leave when the owner or occupant asks (62-35). A cash bond is held 90 days after the permit expires (62-34). A separate peddler license tax from the Commissioner of the Revenue covers people who carry goods from place to place and sell them (82-1036, 82-1038.1).
• Read it yourself: Suffolk Code, Chapter 62 — Peddlers and Solicitors · Suffolk Police — Application for Soliciting Door-to-Door (PDF) · Suffolk Police — Forms · Suffolk Code, Chapter 82, Article XX, Division 7 — Peddlers and Itinerant Merchants · checked 21 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down:

• Whether the $15.00 on the application form is still the council-set fee in 62-33(b)
• Whether the $500.00 bond is per rep or can be one bond for the company
• How long the police take to issue the permit

Clerk’s name ______________ Direct line ______________ Date called ______________