Fort Lauderdale, FL Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Permitting authority
- Chief license inspector, license division
- Application fee
- $5.00, non-refundable if denied
- Permitted hours
- 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- Review period
- 10 working days to issue or deny
- Permit term
- 1 year or stated period, whichever is less
- Max penalty
- $500 fine and/or 60 days jail
Summary
Fort Lauderdale requires anyone going door to door selling goods, wares, merchandise or services to hold a permit from the city's chief license inspector before making a single knock. Uninvited solicitation is limited to 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and the $5.00 application fee is non-refundable if the permit is denied.
It shall be unlawful for any solicitor, peddler, itinerant merchant or transient vendor of merchandise or services to solicit orders for the sale of foods, wares, merchandise or services or to try to attempt to dispose of goods, wares, merchandise or services by barter and sale in any private dwelling, apartment or other place of residence without having obtained a permit to do so from the chief license inspector of the city.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 67 Update 1 | Unified Land Development Code: Supplement 58 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
City Code ch. 23, art. II, div. 2 makes it unlawful for any "solicitor, peddler, itinerant merchant or transient vendor of merchandise or services" to solicit orders for goods or services at a private residence without a permit from the chief license inspector (Sec. 23-41). The application goes to the license division on sworn forms and must disclose the sponsoring person or organization, every individual who will be soliciting, the subject matter and description of the activity, the proposed dates, hours and duration, the purpose of the solicitation, and a sworn statement that the applicant has not been convicted of a crime of moral turpitude or fraud within the prior two years (Sec.
23-42). Every application must carry a five-dollar registration fee to cover administrative cost, forfeited if the permit is refused (Sec. 23-43). The license inspector has ten working days to issue the permit or deny it in writing with specific reasons; a denied applicant can request an informal hearing before the city manager or a designee within five days of the written denial. Absent a shorter period stated in the application, a permit expires one year from issuance (Sec. 23-44). Permits are nontransferable and can be revoked for cause (Sec.
23-45). Separately, Sec. and lets a resident bar solicitors outright with a posted sign or a verbal refusal; a solicitor who ignores a no-soliciting sign, a verbal refusal, or a request to leave is guilty of a violation once convicted.
Violations & Fines
Soliciting without the required permit, or in defiance of a posted sign, a verbal refusal, or a request to leave, is punished under the Code's general penalty section: a fine up to $500.00, up to 60 days in jail, or both (Sec. 1-6). Each continuing day of unpermitted solicitation activity is treated as a separate offense, and the city can pursue injunctive relief in addition to any fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I go door to door in Fort Lauderdale without a permit?
What hours can a permitted solicitor knock on doors?
How much does the permit cost and how long is it valid?
What happens if my solicitor permit application is denied?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fort Lauderdale
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Fort Lauderdale to another location·View the Florida soliciting & door-to-door overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Solicitor Permits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Broward County handle solicitor permits.