Washington, District of Columbia: door-to-door solicitor permit

• The answer: Yes. The District licenses it as a business activity: a Basic Business License in the General Sales and Services category, activity Solicitor. The licensing agency's own category finder files “door to door, solicitor, canvassing, peddler” under it.
• Where it comes from: D.C. Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP), Business Licensing Division, 1100 4th Street SW. Applications go through the District's online portal, BOSS.
• Fee: $99.00 for a 2-year license or $198.00 for a 4-year license, per DLCP's Solicitor page. The page does not say whether that is per rep or per company, and it lists no separate badge fee. A Solicitor Surety Bond of $500 is also required.
• Hours you may knock: Not published, and we looked in three places. DLCP's Solicitor page sets no knocking hours, the old solicitor statute (D.C. Code 47-2835) is repealed, and the chapter lists of DCMR Title 16 (consumers and commercial practices), Title 17 (business and occupations) and Title 24 (public space) have no solicitor or door-to-door chapter. Title 16 has only Chapter 13, Charitable Solicitation; Title 24 has Chapter 5, Vendors.
• What the rep carries: Not published on the pages read. The application asks for a digital passport photograph, so ask DLCP what the rep is issued.
• What takes the time: The paperwork. DLCP lists a Digital Passport Photograph, a Certificate of Occupancy or Home Occupation Permit, a Police Criminal History Report, a Solicitor Surety Bond, and a Tax Registration and Clean Hands Certificate. No processing time is posted.
• Code: D.C. Official Code 47-2851.03(a)(7) (General sales and services category); 47-2835, Solicitors, shown as [Repealed] by D.C. Law 24-333, applicable as of October 1, 2025. The license fee rules sit in 17 DCMR Chapter 5, Basic Business License Schedule of Fees; the section text there was not opened.
• Worth knowing: The stand-alone solicitor statute is gone, but DLCP still lists Solicitor as a licensed activity with its own fee and bond. Confirm with DLCP whether each rep needs a license or one company license covers the crew.
• Read it yourself: DLCP, Solicitor · DLCP, What Kind of License Do I Need? · DLCP, Surety Bond Details · D.C. Code 47-2835 · D.C. Code 47-2851.03 · DCMR Title 16 chapter list (DCRegs) · DCMR Title 17 chapter list (DCRegs) · DCMR Title 24 chapter list (DCRegs) · 17 DCMR Chapter 5 section list (DCRegs) · checked 19 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down: Is the Solicitor license per rep or per company? Are there set hours for door-to-door sales? What must the rep carry or wear at the door? How long does processing take? Clerk’s name ______________   Direct line ______________   Date called ______________