Warwick, Rhode Island: door-to-door solicitor permit

• The answer: Yes — a license from the Board of Public Safety (46-2(a)). A peddler or hawker is anyone with no regular fixed place of business in the city who sells or offers to sell goods or services by going from place to place (46-1). Every licensee also needs a police identification card; a company can be issued a specific number of cards for its people (46-8).
• Where it comes from: Application goes to the Board of Public Safety, which may issue the license on the written recommendation or approval of the Chief of Police, for 12 months, with any conditions the board sets (46-2(b)). The identification card comes from the Chief of Police (46-8).
• Fee: The Chapter 18 license fee table lists Peddler (general) 200.00, expiring 5/1, and Canvassers 200.00 per year, expiring a year from issue; the table prints no dollar sign on those rows (18-2(a)). The code does not say which of the two lines a door-to-door sales rep falls under. Each identification card is issued on a deposit of $10.00, returned when the card is surrendered (46-8).
• Hours you may knock: No door-to-door sales, promotions or solicitations in residential zones between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. (46-13(c)).
• What the rep carries: The plastic identification card, at least three inches by two inches, worn conspicuously on the outside of the outer coat at all times while working (46-8). A licensee who fails to show the license and card when a police officer asks is treated as unlicensed (46-10).
• What takes the time: The license needs the Chief of Police's written recommendation or approval before the Board of Public Safety acts (46-2(b)). The code publishes no background-check steps and no processing time.
• Code: Code of Ordinances, City of Warwick, Chapter 46 — Peddlers and Hawkers (46-1 to 46-14), and Chapter 18 — Fees (18-2). Municode shows the code codified through Ordinance No. O-25-11, adopted July 8, 2025 (Supp. No. 32).
• Worth knowing: No ringing or knocking at a home showing a "No Peddlers or Solicitors" sign or words of similar import (46-13(a)). A rep must name the company, product or organization on request, and leave immediately if asked (46-13(b)). Penalties include confiscation of the goods offered and the vehicle carrying them, and each day is a separate offense (46-11). The chapter cites the state hawker and peddler law, G.L. 1956, 5-11-10 to 5-11-18; that law was not checked for this card.
• Read it yourself: Warwick Code of Ordinances, Chapter 46 — Peddlers and Hawkers · Warwick Code of Ordinances, Chapter 18 — Fees · Warwick Code of Ordinances — landing page · checked 22 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down:

• Whether a door-to-door sales rep takes the Peddler (general) license or the Canvassers license, and whether it is per rep or per company
• Whether the license runs 12 months from issue (46-2) or expires 5/1 as the fee table shows
• How long the Board of Public Safety takes, and whether police run a background check

Clerk’s name ______________ Direct line ______________ Date called ______________