Blaine, MN Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)

Section 22-204 defines a peddler as anyone who goes house-to-house selling and delivering goods on the spot, a solicitor as anyone taking orders for later delivery, and a transient merchant as anyone setting up from a vehicle or tent for up to 14 consecutive days. Section 22-205 exempts wholesalers, delivery routes for perishable food or newspapers, garage and estate sales, flea markets, licensed auctioneers, mobile food trucks, school fundraisers, and noncommercial religious or political canvassers from these licensing rules. The application required by § 22-234(c) must list the applicant's legal name and aliases, physical description, home address and phone, business name and address, the dates of intended operation, any felony, gross misdemeanor, or misdemeanor conviction within the past five years, the applicant's three most recent solicitation locations, proof of any required county license, and the vehicle's plate and VIN.

The city clerk determines completeness within two regular business days and, absent grounds for denial under § 22-235, issues the license within ten regular business days. Section 22-235 lets the city deny a license for lacking a county license, giving false information, failing to pay the fee, a disqualifying conviction within five years, a license revocation within the past five years, or a bad business reputation shown by three or more complaints with the Better Business Bureau or state attorney general in 12 months. A transient merchant site must also sit in a heavy industrial zone, I-2 or I-2A. Every licensee must wear a city-issued photo ID visible to the public while working, per § 22-234(g).