Waukesha, Wisconsin: door-to-door solicitor permit

• The answer: Yes — registration with the police department and an identification card, for each individual rep regardless of how many work for the same company (8.09). A solicitor includes anyone seeking orders for goods or services, whether principal, agent or employee (8.09).
• Where it comes from: The Waukesha Police Department. The chief of police or his designee registers the applicant; the city's Permits/Licenses page links the police department's online Application for Identification Card (Peddlers/Solicitors/Transient Merchants).
• Fee: $35.00 per applicant, paid to the police department to cover processing (8.09). The online application form shows it as a $35 non-refundable application fee.
• Hours you may knock: Business activity or solicitation only between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. (8.09).
• What the rep carries: The city identification card, worn in a conspicuous place on the person while soliciting (8.09). After the greeting and before anything else, the rep states his name, the company and what is being sold (8.09).
• What takes the time: An application with ID details, the employer's name and contact, any vehicle and a description of the goods or services; a driver's license or other proof of identity is shown to the police (8.09). The city's online form also asks for a Social Security number, a photo ID copy, a headshot and any convictions or pending charges. The chief may investigate the statements (8.09). No processing time is published. Registration is valid for one year (8.09).
• Code: Waukesha Municipal Code, Chapter 8 — Licenses and Permits, Section 8.09 — Solicitors and Transient Merchants, on the city's code host municipalcodeonline.com. The section's last history note reads "(Rep. & recr. #3-88) (am #2024-15)". The host showed no codification date.
• Worth knowing: No entering premises posted "No Peddlers," "No Solicitors" or "No Trespassing," no staying when asked to leave, and no soliciting in groups of more than 2 persons per residence (8.09). Registration is refused or revoked for a conviction substantially related to direct selling or soliciting, or a materially inaccurate application (8.09). On a credit sale or a cash sale over $25, the rep gives the buyer 2 copies of the cancellation notice under §423.203, Wis. Stats. (8.09).
• Read it yourself: Waukesha Municipal Code, Chapter 8, Section 8.09 — Solicitors and Transient Merchants · City of Waukesha — Permits/Licenses · Waukesha Police Department — Application for Identification Card (Peddlers/Solicitors/Transient Merchants) · checked 23 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down:

• How many business days the police take to issue the identification card after the online application
• Whether the rep must pick up the card in person at the police department

Clerk’s name ______________ Direct line ______________ Date called ______________