Temple, Texas: door-to-door solicitor permit

• The answer: Yes — a door-to-door solicitation license from the City Secretary, and every rep gets their own. It is unlawful to engage in door-to-door solicitation personally, by agent, or as the agent of another without a license (26-3(a)). The company (the principal licensee) applies and lists its agents; the City Secretary issues a separate photo license for each agent, and it is unlawful to have anyone knock for you who has not been licensed (26-5, 26-8(a)). Door-to-door solicitation means going to residences to solicit, sell or take orders for merchandise or services for commercial purposes (26-1).
• Where it comes from: Code of Ordinances Chapter 26 — Solicitation, Article III, and the City Secretary's Solicitor Permit page, which links separate online applications for a business and for an employee.
• Fee: $30.00 for the Solicitor Permit, plus $5.00 for each employee who will work under the permit, per the City Secretary's page. The code sets no number: fees are set by City Council by resolution, with an application fee and a possible additional fee for each agent's license, and the City Secretary may charge to replace a license (26-7).
• Hours you may knock: 9 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Central during standard time; 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Central during daylight saving time. Going to a residence outside those times without a prior invitation is an offense (26-16). The application must state the hours the applicant proposes to work, inside those limits (26-4(a)(5)).
• What the rep carries: The license, with the rep's photograph on it, attached to or hung on the rep so it is visible to the public and law enforcement. Failing to wear it visibly is an offense (26-8(a), 26-11).
• What takes the time: The City Secretary must issue the license within seven (7) calendar days after a complete application; if the police criminal-history check is not done, the city may take an additional ten (10) calendar days, then must issue subject to revocation (26-8). The application is long: government ID, social security number, a full criminal record statement including arrests, five (5) character or business references, the last three cities worked, vehicle details, dates, hours and locations, and two photographs about 1 1/2 by 2 inches for the applicant and for each agent (26-4, 26-5). A license is valid for one (1) year (26-9).
• Code: Temple Code of Ordinances Chapter 26 — Solicitation (26-1 to 26-19). Municode publishes Temple's code as chapter PDFs and labels this one "Version: May 7, 2018 (current)".
• Worth knowing: A "no soliciting" or "no solicitors" sign binds: a yard sign visible from the right-of-way with letters at least two inches high, or a sign or sticker on the door or entrance way (26-13(a)). Revoking the principal licensee's license automatically revokes every agent's license (26-10(b)). Soliciting for a purpose other than the one on the application is an offense (26-14(b)). Violations are a Class C misdemeanor with a fine not to exceed $500.00 per offense, each day separate, and a judge may suspend a license for up to six (6) months (26-18).
• Read it yourself: Temple Code of Ordinances Chapter 26 — Solicitation (Municode) · Temple Code of Ordinances Chapter 26 — Solicitation (chapter PDF served by Municode) · City of Temple, City Secretary — Solicitor Permit · checked 19 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down:

• Are the fees still $30.00 plus $5.00 per employee, and which resolution sets them?
• Is the $30.00 paid once per company per year, or again for each business application?
• Can the photographs and ID for each agent be uploaded with the online employee application?
• How long is the police criminal-history check running right now?

Clerk’s name ______________ Direct line ______________ Date called ______________