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Brunswick County, NC Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)

Light Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified August 2026

Key Facts

Statutory authority
G.S. § 153A-125
Where banned
Brunswick County Government Center grounds
Banned hours
8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Exempt
county government-sponsored events
No countywide permit
for door-to-door peddlers
Default penalty
up to $50 fine or 30 days (§ 1-1-11)

Summary

Brunswick County doesn't require a general permit for door-to-door solicitors or peddlers in the unincorporated county, but it does flatly bar itinerant merchants, salesmen, promoters, drummers, peddlers and hawkers from conducting business on the grounds of the Brunswick County Government Center between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.

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

Pursuant to G.S. § 153A-125, a county may by ordinance prohibit the business activities of itinerant merchants, salesmen, promoters, drummers, peddlers and hawkers in any part of a county not within a city. It shall be unlawful for any itinerant merchant, salesman, promoter, drummer, peddler or hawker to conduct business activities on the grounds of the Brunswick County Government Center between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. This section shall not apply to any person conducting business as part of a government sponsored event.

Full Breakdown

Sec. S. 153A-125, which lets a county prohibit itinerant merchants, salesmen, promoters, drummers, peddlers and hawkers from operating in the part of the county outside any city. , the hours the center is open to the public. The ban doesn't apply to anyone conducting business as part of a county government-sponsored event held on the grounds. Outside the Government Center campus, Chapter 1-5 doesn't lay out a licensing process, fee schedule or application for door-to-door solicitors operating elsewhere in the unincorporated county; the chapter's other business-regulation content focuses on pawnbroker/scrap-dealer reporting, massage-parlor licensing and privilege license taxes (Article III, beginning at Sec.

1-5-61) rather than general peddler conduct. Anyone soliciting inside one of the county's incorporated towns, such as Leland, Southport, Oak Island, Shallotte, Holden Beach, Ocean Isle Beach, Sunset Beach, Calabash or Boiling Spring Lakes, is subject to that town's own peddler or solicitor ordinance instead, since municipal codes govern inside town limits and the county's Sec. 1-5-2 reaches only the Government Center grounds.

Violations & Fines

Sec. 1-5-2 carries no penalty clause of its own, so a violation falls under the code's general penalty at Sec. 1-1-11: a fine of not more than $50.00 or imprisonment of not more than 30 days for each separate violation, with each day the conduct continues counted as a separate offense. Conducting business as part of a county-sponsored event on the grounds is expressly exempt.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Brunswick County require a permit for door-to-door sales?
No. Chapter 1-5 of the county code doesn't set up a countywide peddler or solicitor permit. The only rule on the books, Sec. 1-5-2, bars itinerant merchants, salesmen, promoters, drummers, peddlers and hawkers from doing business on the grounds of the Brunswick County Government Center between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Can a vendor set up on Government Center grounds during a county event?
Yes. Sec. 1-5-2(c) exempts anyone conducting business as part of a government-sponsored event from the peddling ban, so vendors participating in an official county event at the Government Center aren't in violation. Outside of that carve-out, the 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. restriction still applies to unaffiliated itinerant sellers.
What about solicitors in Leland or Southport?
Brunswick County's ordinance only reaches the Government Center grounds; it doesn't regulate peddling elsewhere, incorporated or not. Leland, Southport, Oak Island and the county's other towns each set their own solicitor or peddler permit rules, so check that town's code instead.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Brunswick County

All Brunswick County rules

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