Eagan, MN Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)

Eagan City Code § 6.36 requires a city permit before anyone acts as a solicitor, peddler, or transient merchant, defined respectively as someone taking orders or donations door-to-door, someone selling goods for immediate delivery door-to-door, and someone selling from a vehicle, stand, or temporary location. The permit application goes to the city clerk and is forwarded to the chief of police for a background investigation covering the applicant's identity, address history, business record, and any arrests or convictions in the past five years for offenses like theft, fraud, or unlawful business practices; a nonprofit based in Eagan is not subject to the background check.

Newspaper carriers, farm-and-garden sellers making their own deliveries, licensed auctioneers, garage and estate sales, and vendors at a permitted seasonal outdoor event are all exempt from the permit requirement, and charitable organizations registered with the Minnesota Attorney General only need to register with the city rather than obtain a permit. Once issued, the permit must be carried at all times and shown to any resident or police officer on demand; it cannot be transferred to another person. Solicitors cannot work between 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m., though a transient merchant can sell later if the permit specifically allows it, and no one covered by the section can use loud noise or amplifiers, block a sidewalk or street, or enter a property posted with a sign at least four inches by four inches, in type at least 48 points, reading 'No Peddlers, Solicitors or Transient Merchants' or similar wording.

The chief of police can suspend or revoke a permit for fraud, misrepresentation, or a disqualifying conviction, with written notice and a right to a hearing before the city.