Harford County, MD Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)

Chapter 197, Article I governs door-to-door and street solicitation in unincorporated Harford County. A 'solicitor' under § 197-1 is anyone who goes door to door to single-family or multifamily dwellings, or who stands on a street or highway, to sell goods, wares, merchandise, magazines or subscriptions, or to request charitable donations. Before entering any private residence to solicit, § 197-2 requires the person to register with the Department of Inspections, Licenses and Permits and furnish name, local and permanent address, age, race, weight, height, hair and eye color and other distinguishing characteristics; the purpose of the solicitation and the goods offered; the name and address of the employer or organization, including proof a charitable organization has complied with Article 41, §§ 103A to 103E of the Annotated Code of Maryland; and a statement of any felony or misdemeanor conviction.

Fees are set under Chapter 157 per § 197-3. Once the information is furnished, § 197-4 requires DILP to issue the license without charge unless the applicant has been convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude; the license runs for one year from issuance and must be carried and displayed to anyone who demands to see it. Section 197-6 exempts invited visitors, unpaid registered members of civic or charitable organizations carrying organizational identification, newsboys selling subscriptions, and regular route deliverymen whose solicitation is incidental to deliveries. The article applies only in unincorporated Harford County; Bel Air, Aberdeen and Havre de Grace license solicitors under their own town codes.