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

Some Restrictions

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

Key Facts

Foot peddler tax (non-farm goods): $10.00 annual license
Vehicle peddler tax (non-farm goods): $25.00 annual license
Farm-product peddler tax: $25.00 annual license
Itinerant merchant tax: $100.00 annual license
Specialty market operator tax: $200.00 annual license

Summary

Anyone peddling goods door-to-door or setting up temporarily as an itinerant merchant or specialty market operator in Durham must first obtain a privilege license from the tax collector, with the tax set by how the seller operates, $10 to $25 for peddlers, $100 for itinerant merchants, under Sec. 30-263.

Every person engaged in business or employed as a peddler in the city shall obtain from the tax collector a license for the privilege of peddling goods and shall pay a tax for the license in the amount specified in this section. A "peddler" is a person who travels from place to place with an inventory of goods, who sells the goods at retail or offers the goods for sale at retail and who delivers the identical goods carried with him or her. A peddler of only farm products shall pay a tax of $25.00. A peddler who travels from place to place on foot, selling goods other than or in addition to farm products shall pay a tax of $10.00. A peddler who travels from place to place by vehicle, selling goods other than or in addition to farm products, shall pay a tax of $25.00. ... Every person engaged in business as an itinerant merchant in the city shall apply for and obtain a license from the tax collector for the privilege of engaging in business and shall pay a tax for the license of $100.00.

Source: City of Durham Code of OrdinancesView official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 36).

Full Breakdown

00. 00. 00. Subsection (d) exempts a long list of sellers from the license: those selling farm or nursery products or crafts they produced, nonprofit charitable/educational/religious/civic organizations, sellers of items like printed material, wood fuel, ice, seafood, meat, poultry, eggs, dairy, bread, cakes, or pies, licensed auto dealers, peddlers who already make at least 90 percent of their sales from a fixed location, itinerant merchants at farmer's markets or licensed agricultural fairs, and licensed auctioneers. Disabled veterans of designated conflicts and widows with dependent children may also be exempted by the county board of commissioners under subsection (f), which issues a certificate allowing sales in the city without payment of the license tax.

Violations & Fines

Operating as a peddler, itinerant merchant, or specialty market operator in Durham without first obtaining and paying for the required license from the tax collector exposes the seller to the article's general enforcement remedies, including a civil injunction under Sec. 30-233 and an additional penalty of five percent every 30 days on any unpaid tax under Sec. 30-232(b).

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a permit to go door-to-door selling in Durham?

Yes. Section 30-263(a) requires every peddler in the city to obtain a license from the tax collector before peddling goods, with the tax set at $25 for farm products, $10 for foot peddlers of other goods, and $25 for vehicle peddlers of other goods.

What's the difference between a peddler and an itinerant merchant under Durham's code?

A peddler travels place to place delivering the identical goods carried with them, while an itinerant merchant, defined in Section 30-263(b), sets up at a building, lot, or other location to display and sell goods and pays a $100 license tax.

Are any sellers exempt from Durham's peddler license?

Yes. Section 30-263(d) exempts sellers of their own farm or nursery products, homemade crafts, nonprofit organizations, sellers of items like bread, ice, and seafood, licensed auto dealers, and peddlers who already sell mainly from a fixed permanent location.

Sources & Official References

[1]Durham City Code § 30-263 (Peddlers, Itinerant Merchants and Specialty Market Operators)

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