Dothan, AL Soliciting & Door-to-Door: No-Knock Registry (2026)
Key Facts
- Prohibited hours
- 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m., Mon-Sat
- Sundays/holidays
- Soliciting banned all day
- ID card fee
- $3.00, issued within 5 working days
- Card validity
- Up to 30 days per card
- Penalty
- $1-$250 fine or up to 30 days jail
- Nonprofit exemption
- Tax-exempt charities exempt with proof, §18-176(f)
Summary
The City of Dothan requires peddlers, canvassers and solicitors to carry a police-issued identification card before going door-to-door, and City Code § 18-176(g) bans all street, sidewalk and residential soliciting between 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. on weekdays and all day on Sundays and holidays.
(a)Generally. The following practices very often become nuisances and therefore are of such public concern for the preservation of the privacy and safety of the citizens of the city that they must be regulated:(1)Going in and upon private residences by peddlers, canvassers, solicitors and transient vendors of merchandise, not having been requested or invited so to do by the owner or occupant, for the purpose of disposing of the same; ... (e)Penalty for violation of section. A person who violates any provision of this section, upon conviction, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and fined not less than $1.00 nor more than $250.00 or shall be imprisoned for not more than 30 days, or both. ... (g)Restricted hours. Peddling, soliciting or selling upon streets and sidewalks or residential door-to-door canvassing, as provided by this section shall be prohibited between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m., Monday through Saturday, and on Sunday and legal holidays.
Full Breakdown
City Code § 18-176(a) declares it a regulated nuisance for peddlers, canvassers, solicitors or transient vendors to go onto private residences uninvited, or to peddle, sell or solicit orders on public or private streets and sidewalks. Section 18-176(b) requires anyone engaged in those activities to first obtain an identification card from the license division, valid for no more than 30 days, and § 18-176(c) requires a written application listing the applicant's name, physical description, permanent and local address, the nature of the practice, the vehicle description if one is used, and the applicant's Social Security number.
Section 18-176(d) sets a $3.00 fee for the identification card, to be issued within five working days unless the applicant has a felony conviction or falsified the application, and that card can be revoked by the municipal court for violations, fraud, a felony conviction, or conduct that breaches the peace. Section 18-176(g) then sets the hours: soliciting, peddling or door-to-door canvassing is 'prohibited between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m., Monday through Saturday, and on Sunday and legal holidays.' A bona fide nonprofit charitable organization is exempt from the identification-card and application requirements under § 18-176(f) if it proves its federal tax-exempt status to the license division, though the city still requires it to notify the police department of its planned solicitation activities.
Violations & Fines
Violating any part of § 18-176, including soliciting without the required identification card or canvassing outside the 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. window, or at all on Sundays and holidays, is a misdemeanor under § 18-176(e), punishable by a fine of not less than $1.00 nor more than $250.00, up to 30 days in jail, or both.
Frequently Asked Questions
When can peddlers and solicitors knock on doors in Dothan?
Do door-to-door solicitors need a permit in Dothan?
Are charities exempt from the solicitor identification card?
What's the penalty for violating Dothan's soliciting hours?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Dothan
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