Bay County, FL Soliciting & Door-to-Door: No-Knock Registry (2026)
Key Facts
- Sign that triggers ban
- "No Peddlers/Solicitations Allowed"
- Legal peddling hours
- 9 a.m. to 30 min. before sunset
- Sunday peddling
- banned unless resident invites
- Max penalty
- $500 fine or 60 days jail
- Exempt groups
- local charities, religious, educational orgs
- County property
- soliciting barred on parks, piers, boat ramps
Summary
Posting a sign reading "No Peddlers Allowed" or "No Solicitations Allowed" makes it unlawful for any peddler to step onto that property under Bay County Code Sec. 19-30. The same peddlers ordinance also fences off the hours a peddler may legally approach a door at all: never on Sundays, and never earlier than 9:00 a.m. or later than a half hour before sunset, absent an invitation.
Sec. 19-30. - Entry on private premises restricted. It shall be unlawful for any peddler to enter upon any private premises when such premises are posted with a sign stating "No Peddlers Allowed" or "No Solicitations Allowed" or other words to such effect. ... Sec. 19-32. - Hours of operation. It shall be unlawful for any peddler to engage in the business of peddling within the county between the hours of one-half hour before sunset and 9:00 a.m. the following morning, or at any time on Sundays, except by specific appointment with or invitation from the prospective customer.
Full Breakdown
Sec. 19-30 bars any "peddler," a term Sec. 19-27 defines broadly to include canvassers, solicitors, transient or itinerant merchants and photographers, and sellers of high-cost items over $1,000 such as vehicles, from entering private premises once the owner has posted a sign to that effect. Sec. until one-half hour before sunset, with no peddling permitted on Sundays unless the resident specifically invites or appoints the visit. Not every visitor is bound by these rules. Sec. 19-29 exempts commercial travelers selling to established dealers, farmers selling their own produce, charitable, educational or religious organizations based in the county, one-time private sales between two people, and special-event sales by merchants who already have a fixed place of business in Bay County.
Peddlers are also barred outright from soliciting on county-owned parks, piers, boat ramps or beach lands under Sec. 19-33, regardless of any posted sign. Violating the no-entry or hours rule is a Code violation like any other, enforced under the county's general penalty section, not a separate registry or licensing scheme; the peddler permit itself is a distinct requirement covered under Division 2 of the same chapter.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 19-28 makes any violation of the peddlers article, including ignoring a posted no-soliciting sign or knocking outside the permitted hours, punishable under the county's general penalty, Sec. 1-6: a fine up to $500.00, up to 60 days in the county jail, or both. Each day a continuing violation persists is charged as a separate offense, and the county may also seek injunctive relief without posting a bond.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does posting a "No Soliciting" sign actually stop door-to-door sales in Bay County?
What hours can peddlers legally knock on doors in Bay County?
Are church groups or local charities covered by the no-soliciting sign law?
What happens if a peddler ignores a posted no-solicitation sign?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bay County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Bay County to another location·View the Florida soliciting & door-to-door overview
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