Cathedral City, CA Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)

Chapter 5.48 of the Cathedral City Municipal Code regulates peddlers in Cathedral City, Riverside County. Section 5.48.010 defines a peddler as a person who travels by foot from door to door, house to house, place to place or business to business, carrying goods, wares or merchandise, offering them for sale or making sales and delivering articles to purchasers, or who sells or offers goods for sale from any vehicle. Under Section 5.48.030, peddling without a valid permit is unlawful, every person working for a permittee needs their own permit, a separate permit is required for each business, and the permit is in addition to the Chapter 3.28 business license.

The application under Section 5.48.040 asks for identification and contact details, the business name, a description of the goods, the three-year permit history and criminal history, any employees, and consent to a fingerprint check by the chief of police. The applicant must show photographic identification establishing an age of eighteen or older, be photographed and thumb-printed for the identification badge, and pay a processing fee set by council resolution. Under Section 5.48.050 the authority grants the permit within fifteen days after receiving a completed application if requirements are met, including no sex offender registration, no similar permit denied or revoked within one year, and no conviction in the preceding three years for offenses such as burglary, robbery, theft or fraud.

Section 5.48.070(D) requires permittees to carry the permit at all times and wear the identification badge on the outermost garment, picture facing outward. Section 5.48.100 makes it unlawful and a public nuisance to peddle before nine a.m. or after eight p.m. any day unless the permit is otherwise conditioned. Section 5.48.120 bars ringing the bell at a property displaying a No Peddlers, No Solicitors or No Agents sign unless the permittee has an appointment, and requires leaving when asked by the owner or occupant. Peddling in the downtown precise plan area also requires a special use permit. Section 5.48.020 exempts garage sales on private property, events under a special events or street closure permit, and sidewalk vendors under Chapter 5.98.