West Covina, California: door-to-door solicitor permit

• The answer: Yes — a commercial solicitation permit, held by the company. No individual may solicit unless the person on whose behalf the solicitation is made holds a valid permit (14-188). The city issues certified copies of the permit equal to the number of solicitors listed on the application, and each rep works off a copy with his or her own name on it (14-192; 14-193). The city also charges a Peddlers and Solicitors business license fee.
• Where it comes from: The license collector, on forms prescribed by the city, declared under penalty of perjury (14-190).
• Fee: Business license, Peddlers and Solicitors, per the city's Master Fee Schedule effective January 1, 2026: Schedule A $35.92, Schedule B $363.41, Schedule C $485.60. The city's 2026 business license fee worksheet labels those per person per day, per person per year and per company per year. The permit application fee is separate, set by City Council resolution and not refunded if no permit issues (14-190); no line for it was found in the Master Fee Schedule.
• Hours you may knock: Only between 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. (14-193(a)(1)).
• What the rep carries: A certified copy of the permit bearing the rep's own name, printed or typed in the blank before starting, and shown to the person before the pitch (14-193(b)(1)).
• What takes the time: Not much, by the code. The license collector issues the permit within ten days after the application is filed unless information is missing or the application shows a violation of the manner rules (14-191). The application lists the area, the dates, the time of day, the number of solicitors and the supervisors, and states that no solicitor has been convicted of the crimes listed in 14-193(c). No fingerprinting appears in the article. A permit never runs past the following June thirtieth (14-192).
• Code: West Covina Municipal Code Chapter 14, Article IX, Commercial Solicitation: 14-187; 14-188; 14-190; 14-191; 14-192; 14-193 (Ord. No. 1653, 1984).
• Worth knowing: A "No Solicitors" sign, or anything similar, on a house, apartment or business closes that door (14-193(a)(3)). No solicitor under sixteen unless accompanied by an adult (14-193(a)(2)). Any change to what the application said must reach the license collector in writing within twenty-four hours (14-190(c)). A revoked permit bars the applicant and the permit holder for one year (14-195(f)). The article's definition of soliciting speaks of goods, wares or merchandise for future delivery; whether the city applies it to service sales is a question for the license collector.
• Read it yourself: West Covina Municipal Code Chapter 14, Article IX, Commercial Solicitation · City of West Covina Master Fee Schedule, effective January 1, 2026 (PDF) · City of West Covina 2026 Business License Fees Adjustments Worksheet (scanned PDF) · City of West Covina: Fee Schedule · checked 19 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down:

• The commercial solicitation permit application fee set by council resolution
• Whether the Peddlers and Solicitors license is charged per rep or once per company for a team
• Whether the article is applied to sales of services such as internet, solar or pest control

Clerk’s name ______________ Direct line ______________ Date called ______________