Topeka, Kansas: door-to-door solicitor permit

• The answer: Yes — a solicitor's license, per rep. "Solicitor" is defined as "any person who goes upon the premises of a private residence, not having been invited by the occupant, for the purpose of taking or attempting to take orders for the sale of merchandise for future delivery or for services to be performed in the future" (5.115.010) — which covers fiber, solar, pest and security sales — and "it shall be unlawful for any person to conduct business as a peddler or solicitor without a license issued pursuant to this chapter" unless the activity is sponsored by an educational, religious, civic or not-for-profit organization (5.115.020(b)).
• Where it comes from: The City Clerk's office (215 SE 7th St., Room 166) takes the application; the Police Department runs the required criminal background review before the Police Chief recommends approval or denial.
• Fee: $250.00 per rep, plus a separate $25.00 background-check fee paid to the Police Department, per the city's own Peddler/Solicitor Application: "LICENSE FEE: $250.00. Pursuant to TMC Section 5.115.030(b)(2), the fee is $250.00, plus the cost of a criminal background review... BACKGROUND CHECK: The fee is $25.00." The license is not prorated or refunded (5.115.030(b)) and expires December 31 of the year issued regardless of when in the year it was bought.
• Hours you may knock: 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. — "it shall be unlawful for a peddler or solicitor to operate between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m." (5.115.050(b)).
• What the rep carries: The license itself, displayed "upon request" (5.115.060). It cannot be transferred to another person (TMC 5.05.080, cited on the application).
• What takes the time: A Police Department criminal background review is required before the license issues, checking the past 10 years for any felony, a misdemeanor crime against a person, or theft/burglary/criminal use of a financial card (5.115.030(a)(6)); a license is also denied if the applicant's peddler/solicitor license was revoked by Topeka or another municipality within the past 2 years (5.115.040(a)(4)).
• Code: Topeka Municipal Code Chapter 5.115, Peddlers, Solicitors and Itinerant Merchants (§§ 5.115.010–5.115.060 for peddlers/solicitors specifically).
• Worth knowing: Denial or revocation also follows fraud, misrepresentation or a false statement on the application, or failure to pay the fee or supply required information (5.115.040(a)). Chapter 5.115 also separately licenses sidewalk vendors, flea market promoters and mobile food vendors (5.115.070–5.115.220), which are different categories from door-to-door peddlers/solicitors.
• Read it yourself: Topeka Municipal Code Chapter 5.115, Peddlers, Solicitors and Itinerant Merchants · City of Topeka — Peddlers and Solicitors Application (City Clerk) · checked 19 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down: Whether one license can be issued to cover a company's whole out-of-town crew, or each individual rep needs their own $250 license and $25 background check; Typical turnaround time from application to Police Chief approval. Clerk’s name ______________   Direct line ______________   Date called ______________