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Charlotte County, FL Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Permit issuer
Clerk of the Circuit Court, Sec. 1-10-77
State authority
F.S. § 501.022(2)
Scope
All home solicitation sales in the county
Exemptions
Same as F.S. §§ 501.021-501.055
Adopted
Ord. No. 2008-094, 11-25-08

Summary

Anyone selling door-to-door in unincorporated Charlotte County must first obtain a home solicitation permit from the Clerk of the Circuit Court under Sec. 1-10-77, issued under state law section 501.022(2). The county ordinance applies to all home solicitation sales defined by Florida Statutes section 501.021 and exempts only the activities the state itself exempts.

These county ordinances apply to unincorporated areas of Charlotte County. Incorporated cities within the county may have their own rules that take precedence over county-level regulations.

It shall be unlawful for any person to engage, on behalf of himself or others, in the business of door-to-door selling without having first obtained a home solicitation permit from the office of the clerk of the circuit court pursuant to F.S. section 501.022(2), as amended, and any regulations amendatory, supplementary or additional thereto.

Full Breakdown

Sec. 1-10-76(a) makes Article III of the county's Door-to-Door Selling chapter apply to all home solicitation sales, as that term is defined in F.S. section 501.021, conducted anywhere in Charlotte County, and subsection (b) carries over whatever exemptions Florida Statutes sections 501.021 through 501.055 already grant, so a seller exempt under state law is exempt from the county rule too. Sec. 1-10-77 makes it unlawful for anyone to engage, for themselves or on behalf of someone else, in the business of door-to-door selling without first obtaining a home solicitation permit, and routes the application through the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court under F.S. section 501.022(2) rather than through county staff. The article traces to Ord. No. 2008-094, adopted November 25, 2008, which replaced an earlier version of the same three sections dating to a 1982 ordinance.

Beyond the permit itself, Sec. 1-10-78 layers a county-specific time restriction on top of whatever the state statute already requires: no home solicitation sale defined under this article can happen between 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m., a limit that exists independently of and in addition to the Chapter 501 protections, so a permit holder still cannot knock on doors in the evening or early morning even though the state statute does not set those hours itself.

Violations & Fines

Selling door-to-door without the Clerk of the Circuit Court's home solicitation permit violates Sec. 1-10-77 and is enforceable as a county code violation independent of any state penalty under F.S. Chapter 501. Because the permit is issued at the circuit court level rather than by county code enforcement, a complaint about an unpermitted solicitor can be directed to the sheriff's office or the clerk's office for verification of active permit status.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do door-to-door sellers need a permit in Charlotte County?
Yes. Sec. 1-10-77 makes it unlawful to engage in door-to-door selling anywhere in the county without a home solicitation permit obtained from the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court under F.S. section 501.022(2). The requirement covers anyone selling on their own behalf or for someone else, not just company-employed canvassers.
Is anyone exempt from Charlotte County's solicitor permit?
Only whoever Florida Statutes sections 501.021 through 501.055 already exempt from home solicitation sale rules, per Sec. 1-10-76(b). The county did not carve out its own separate exemptions; it simply adopted the state's definition of a home solicitation sale and applied the permit requirement to whatever that definition reaches.
Where does the solicitor permit application get filed?
At the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court, not with county code enforcement or the tax collector, because Sec. 1-10-77 routes the permit through the state process created by F.S. section 501.022(2). That is a different office than the one that issues the county's local business tax receipts.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Charlotte County

All Charlotte County rules

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