Fort Lauderdale, FL Soliciting & Door-to-Door: No-Knock Registry (2026)

Section 23-26 of the Code of Ordinances gives Fort Lauderdale residents two ways to shut down uninvited solicitation: post a sign forbidding it, or simply tell the solicitor to leave. Absent either, a permitted solicitor, peddler, itinerant merchant or transient vendor has the right to knock at a private dwelling only between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. A solicitor who ignores the sign, keeps going after being verbally forbidden, or stays on the property after being asked to leave is guilty of a violation punished under Sec. 1-6, the Code's general penalty provision, regardless of whether entry was originally invited.

Before knocking on any door, the solicitor must first hold a permit issued under Division 2 of the same chapter. Section 23-41 makes it unlawful to solicit house to house without one, and Sec. 23-42 requires a sworn application listing the sponsoring organization, every person who will solicit, the dates and hours proposed, the purpose of the solicitation, and a statement that no one involved has been convicted of a crime of moral turpitude or fraud within the prior two years. The application carries a five-dollar registration fee under Sec. 23-43, which the city keeps whether or not the permit issues. The license inspector must approve or deny within ten working days; a denial gets a written statement of reasons and the applicant can demand an informal hearing with the city manager within five days. Every permit expires at the end of the stated solicitation period or one year from issuance, whichever comes first, and it cannot be transferred to another person or organization.