Costa Mesa, CA Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit
- Police chief-issued ID card, § 9-132
- Issuing authority
- Chief of police, no hearing needed absent objection
- Established-route exemption
- 10+ serviced customers/quarter, § 9-133
- Charitable/religious solicitors
- Exempt, § 9-133
- General penalty
- Infraction up to $500 or misdemeanor up to $1,000
Summary
Anyone going house-to-house in Costa Mesa to sell goods or take orders for future delivery must first get an identification card from the police chief under Section 9-132. The chief can issue it without a council hearing unless neighbors object, and established local route vendors and charitable or religious solicitors are exempt from the requirement.
Peddling/soliciting. Except as provided in Article 9 of Title 9 of this Code, soliciting includes any person, firm or corporation engaged in the business of going from house-to-house, or place-to-place, other than commercial business houses, or at, on, or along the public streets, sidewalks or public places, selling or taking orders for, or offering to sell or take orders for goods or services to be performed in the future, or for things of value to be delivered in the future, or performing services which require further development, consummation or completion elsewhere than at the place where performed. Except as provided in Article 9 of Title 9 of this Code, each and every person who desires to engage in the business of peddling or soliciting and is going from house-to-house, or place-to-place, within the legal boundaries of the City of Costa Mesa, shall first obtain an identification card from the chief of police.
Full Breakdown
Section 9-131 defines peddling and soliciting broadly to include anyone going house-to-house or place-to-place, other than to commercial business houses, or working the public streets and sidewalks, to sell goods or services, take orders for future delivery, or perform services that require further work elsewhere. Section 9-132 requires every such peddler or solicitor to obtain an identification card from the chief of police before starting, and the application must include the applicant's full name, permanent home address, physical description, date and place of birth, the name and address of their employer, the employer's type of business, and the applicant's proposed method of business activity in the city.
Section 9-130 lets the chief of police issue these permits administratively, without a council hearing, as long as there is no evidence the public peace, health, safety or welfare would be harmed and no protests are filed; if either exists, the chief can refer the application to the city council instead. Section 9-133 carves out two exemptions from the identification-card requirement: a solicitor with an 'established route,' proven by a bona fide list of at least 10 customer names and addresses in the city who were actually serviced in the preceding quarter, and any person soliciting for charitable or religious purposes.
Violations & Fines
Costa Mesa's peddling and soliciting article does not carry its own penalty clause, so a violation of the identification-card requirement falls under the citywide enforcement scheme in Section 1-33: prosecution as an infraction (fines up to $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second within a year, and $500 for each further offense) or as a misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to $1,000, up to six months in jail, or both.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do charities need a solicitor permit in Costa Mesa?
What information does the Costa Mesa solicitor ID application require?
Can Costa Mesa deny a solicitor permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Costa Mesa
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