Sunnyvale, California: door-to-door solicitor permit

• The answer: Yes — a peddler license, per individual. "It is unlawful for any person to act as a peddler within the city without having first obtained a license... Each individual peddler shall obtain a license." (5.28.030). A separate business license under Chapter 5.04 is also required.
• Where it comes from: The Director of Public Safety, City of Sunnyvale (5.28.040, 5.28.060).
• Fee: $261 per peddler license, per the city's Master Fee Schedule (a $276 fee has been proposed but was not yet the adopted figure at the time this fee schedule attachment was published) (SMC Ch. 5.28). The code itself only says the fee is "sufficient to cover the cost to the city of processing the application" and "set by resolution of the city council" (5.28.050) — the dollar figure comes from that resolution's fee schedule, not the chapter text.
• Hours you may knock: Eight a.m. to nine p.m. — "It is unlawful for any person described in Section 5.28.010 of this chapter, whether licensed or unlicensed, to enter upon any residential premises between nine p.m. and eight a.m." (5.28.080).
• What the rep carries: The license and a city-issued photo identification badge, at all times while peddling, and must produce both on demand of anyone solicited or any public safety officer (5.28.100(a)). Two 1-inch by 1-inch head-and-shoulders photos are submitted with the application to make the badge (5.28.040(h)).
• What takes the time: A moral-character and business-reputation investigation of the applicant, including a criminal-history statement and two references from Santa Clara County residents (5.28.040, 5.28.060). The license expires one year after issuance (5.28.070).
• Code: Sunnyvale Municipal Code Chapter 5.28, Peddlers (5.28.010–5.28.140).
• Worth knowing: A posted "No Peddlers," "No Solicitors," or similar sign makes it unlawful to knock or ring the bell there, licensed or not (5.28.090). A peddler selling goods or services priced or asking for a donation of twenty dollars or less is exempt from the license and fee, but still bound by the hours and no-sign rules (5.28.030(b)).
• Read it yourself: Sunnyvale Municipal Code Chapter 5.28, Peddlers · City of Sunnyvale Master Fee Schedule (Attachment 1, Dept. of Public Safety fees) · checked 19 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down: Has the $276 proposed peddler/solicitor license fee been adopted, or is $261 still current? How long does the moral-character investigation under 5.28.060 typically take before a license and badge are issued? Clerk’s name ______________   Direct line ______________   Date called ______________