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Prince William County, VA Soliciting & Door-to-Door: No-Knock Registry (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Curfew window
Half-hour after sunset to half-hour after sunrise
Exception
Invited or scheduled appointments are exempt
Must be printed
On every Chapter 18 permit (Sec. 18-23)
Penalty
Class 2 misdemeanor (Sec. 18-3)
Permit risk
Revocation after notice and hearing (Sec. 18-27)

Summary

Prince William County bars peddlers, solicitors and itinerant vendors from knocking door-to-door between a half-hour after sunset and a half-hour after sunrise under Sec. 18-2.2, unless the resident invited or scheduled the visit. Every solicitor permit issued under Chapter 18 must print this nighttime restriction under Sec. 18-23.

These county ordinances apply to unincorporated areas of Prince William County. Incorporated cities within the county may have their own rules that take precedence over county-level regulations.

No peddler, solicitor, or itinerant vendor shall conduct business door-to-door, except by invitation or appointment, from a half-hour after sunset to a half-hour after sunrise.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 46 Update 4).

Full Breakdown

Sec. " The half-hour buffers on each side track sunset and sunrise times that shift through the year, so the permitted calling window narrows in winter and widens in summer rather than running on a fixed clock. The "except by invitation or appointment" carve-out means a resident who has scheduled a specific visit, such as an evening estimate appointment, can still receive that caller after the cutoff without violating the section; the exception protects pre-arranged business, not unsolicited calling. Sec. 2," so a permitted solicitor is on notice of the curfew printed on the card he or she must carry under Sec.

18-24 and exhibit on request to police or the person being solicited. A violation of Sec. 2 falls under the general Chapter 18 violations section, Sec. 18-3, which makes any violation of the chapter a Class 2 misdemeanor, a step up from the Class 4 misdemeanor default used elsewhere in the county code. Repeated nighttime-solicitation complaints against a permit holder also expose the permit itself to revocation under Sec. 18-27, which lists "any violation of this chapter" as grounds for the chief of police to revoke after notice and a hearing.

Violations & Fines

Knocking door-to-door outside an invited or scheduled appointment between a half-hour after sunset and a half-hour after sunrise violates Sec. 18-2.2 and is a Class 2 misdemeanor under the Chapter 18 violations section, Sec. 18-3. A permit holder cited for nighttime solicitation also risks permit revocation by the chief of police under Sec. 18-27 after notice and a hearing.

Frequently Asked Questions

What time do solicitors have to stop knocking on doors in Prince William County?
Door-to-door business must stop a half-hour after sunset and cannot resume until a half-hour after sunrise, under Sec. 18-2.2 of the County Code. Because the cutoff tracks actual sunset and sunrise, the exact clock time shifts across the year rather than sitting at a fixed hour like 8:00 p.m.
Can a solicitor come to my door at night if I asked them to?
Yes. Sec. 18-2.2 exempts calls made "by invitation or appointment," so a caller you scheduled, such as an evening estimate visit, is not a curfew violation even after the sunset cutoff. Unsolicited nighttime knocking without your prior arrangement is what the section prohibits.
What happens to a solicitor who violates the nighttime curfew?
A Sec. 18-2.2 violation is a Class 2 misdemeanor under Sec. 18-3, and the chief of police can also revoke the person's Chapter 18 permit under Sec. 18-27 after giving written notice and a hearing. Every permit is required to print the nighttime restriction under Sec. 18-23, so a permit holder cannot claim they were unaware of the curfew.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Prince William County

All Prince William County rules

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