Clifton, NJ Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)

City Code Chapter 189 governs canvassing and soliciting citywide. Section 189-1 bars house-to-house selling, order-taking, or service solicitation without a written license first. To apply, § 189-2 requires filing an original plus four copies of a sworn application with the Clifton Police Department, listing the applicant's name, business name and address, residence, date and place of birth, any arrest or conviction history, the employer represented, the intended start date, and the goods or services offered; the application must also carry a letter from the employer certifying the applicant's authority to represent it, and cannot be filed more than six months before canvassing begins.

Section 189-3 sets the fees: $25 to file (covering investigation, photographing, processing, and fingerprinting, including the State Police fingerprint charge), $10 to renew, and $5 per additional individual card. Under § 189-4 the Chief of Police investigates the applicant's business and moral character, including fingerprinting submitted to the FBI and New Jersey State Police; if character or business responsibility comes back unsatisfactory, the Chief endorses disapproval and the license does not issue. Licenses run through December 31 of the year issued and show the licensee's photo and thumbprint.

on weekdays, and the permittee must carry and exhibit the permit on request. Section 189-7 exempts routine deliveries and religious, charitable, or political activity, but that exemption does not cover food or beverage sales, which additionally require a Health Department compliance investigation under § 189-4F. Section 189-8 lets any resident post a City Clerk-issued 'do not solicit' sticker; soliciting a posted address is itself a violation.