Council Bluffs, IA Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- Per individual, not per company
- Canvassing hours barred
- 9:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m.
- Minimum insurance
- $250,000 injury / $500,000 products / $100,000 property
- License term
- 6 months or 1 year
- No-solicit signs
- Posted 'No Peddlers/Solicitors' bars entry
- Revocation bar
- 1 year before reapplying
Summary
Anyone going door to door in the City of Council Bluffs selling goods, taking orders, or soliciting donations must first get a solicitor license from the city clerk. The license is issued per individual, not per company, and covers both peddlers and people distributing handbills or advertising matter.
It shall be unlawful for any solicitor, or person making street sales, as hereinafter defined, to engage in any such business within the city of Council Bluffs, Iowa, without first obtaining a license in compliance with the provisions of this chapter. License shall be issued to each individual person, not per company. ... Shout, blow on a horn, ring a bell, or use any loudspeaker or amplifying system for the purpose of advertising or otherwise announcing his or her wares, or business activities, except as may be permissible under any other ordinance of the city of Council Bluffs, Iowa, or statute of the state of Iowa, and such acts shall be specifically prohibited after 9:00 p.m. and before 9:00 a.m. on any day of the week; ... Any person found guilty of a violation of any of the provisions of this chapter shall, upon conviction, be subject to the penalty provisions set forth in CBMC 8.02.020. Each day that a violation is allowed to continue shall constitute a separate and distinct violation.
Full Breakdown
Council Bluffs Municipal Code Chapter 3.62 makes it unlawful for any solicitor or person making street sales to operate in the City of Council Bluffs without first obtaining a license under CBMC 3.62.010. A license is issued to each individual person rather than to a company, and anyone distributing handbills, circulars, cards, pamphlets or other advertising matter must secure the same Solicitors permit. Applicants file with the city clerk under CBMC 3.62.030, listing name, address, phone, email, the firm represented, the products or services sold, and any vehicle used in the business.
Before a license issues, CBMC 3.62.060 requires proof of general liability insurance: at least $250,000 injury liability, $500,000 products liability, and $100,000 property damage, with the City named as an additional insured. Solicitors may not shout, use a horn, bell or amplifier, and cannot canvass between 9:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. Under CBMC 3.62.100 they cannot sell on public streets, occupy congested public areas, or enter a residence posted 'No Peddlers' or 'No Solicitors.' School fundraising is exempt under CBMC 3.62.135. Licenses run six months or one year and must be carried and displayed on request.
Violations & Fines
Violating any provision of Chapter 3.62 is a criminal offense subject to the penalty set in CBMC 8.02.020, with each day a violation continues counted as a separate offense. The city attorney may instead pursue the case as a municipal infraction under CBMC 1.95. A license can also be revoked for cause after notice and a hearing before the city clerk, including for fraud in the application or a felony or moral-turpitude misdemeanor conviction, and a revoked applicant cannot reapply for one year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do school fundraisers need a solicitor license in Council Bluffs?
Can a solicitor knock on my door in Council Bluffs after 9 p.m.?
What happens if I post a 'No Solicitors' sign at my Council Bluffs home?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Council Bluffs
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