Amherst, NY Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)

Chapter 148 defines soliciting broadly in § 148-2 to include seeking orders for future sale or delivery, or seeking subscriptions or contributions of money or property, on any street or house to house in the Town. Section 148-3A requires anyone engaging in that activity, along with peddling, mobile food vending or a transient business, to obtain a permit or register, or both, before starting. The application under § 148-7 asks for the applicant's name and home address, a physical description including date of birth, height, weight and hair and eye color, a list of any arrests or convictions, and a description of the vehicle that will be used, if any; the form must be signed and sworn before a notary.

The Town Clerk forwards the application to the Amherst Police Department for a background check under § 148-8A, which must report back within ten business days on whether the applicant has accurately reported convictions and is of good moral character; a felony conviction, or a moral-turpitude misdemeanor within the last five years without relief from civil disabilities, is grounds to deny the permit under § 148-10A. The fee is $50 under § 148-9, and the permit automatically expires ninety days after issuance under § 148-10B and cannot be transferred.

Charitable organizations soliciting on behalf of a cause skip the individual permit but must instead file a list of every solicitor's name, address and birth date with the Town Clerk under § 148-5, and anyone sixteen or younger is exempt from the permit requirement entirely under § 148-4E.