Fountain Valley, CA Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit fee
- Set by City Council resolution, nonrefundable
- Decision deadline
- Sixty days after the application (§ 4.04.090)
- Permit term
- One year, not transferable
- Required with application
- Fingerprints, two photographs, references or character evidence
- Disqualifier
- Felony conviction, prima facie (§ 4.20.060)
- Hearing request
- Within ten days to the city manager
Summary
Anyone who peddles, sells or solicits orders door to door in the City of Fountain Valley, California, must apply for a permit under Municipal Code § 4.20.050. The application requires fingerprints, photographs and references, the fee is set by City Council resolution, and a felony conviction is prima facie disqualifying.
A written application to peddle, deliver or sell any goods or services or to solicit or canvass for goods and services as defined in this chapter must be completed by any person who wishes to peddle or sell, or solicit or canvass for goods and services by following the procedures and providing the general information described in Section 4.04.070. The permit application fee as required by Section 4.02.040 must be paid when submitting the application. Specific application information pertaining to peddling, delivering or selling goods and services or canvassing and soliciting for goods and services is required. This information shall contain the following: ... (6) The fingerprints of the applicant and the names of at least two property owners of the county of Orange, state of California, who will certify as to the applicant's good character and business respectability, or in lieu of the names of references, such other available evidence as to the good character and business responsibility of the applicant, as will enable an investigator to properly evaluate such character and business responsibility;
Full Breakdown
Anyone who sells, peddles, delivers or solicits orders door to door in the City of Fountain Valley needs a permit under Chapter 4.20 of the Municipal Code. Section 4.20.020 defines a solicitor or canvasser as an individual traveling from place to place, house to house or street to street to take orders for goods or future services. Section 4.20.030 pulls in transient and itinerant merchants and vendors, including all vendors and caterers, and 4.20.040 covers telephone solicitors who work from a location in the city.
The application goes to the license collector on the city form (4.04.070), which asks for the applicant's name and aliases, date of birth, driver's license number, a criminal history statement and a list of permits held or revoked elsewhere. The fee is set by City Council resolution, is nonrefundable and is payable in advance. The police department charges a separate fingerprint fee for solicitors (4.02.040). Section 4.20.050 adds the employer's credentials, the length of time wanted, where goods will be sold and delivered, the exact identity of the supplier, two 2 by 2 inch head-and-shoulders photographs given to the police, and, for in-person solicitors, a statement of freedom from contagious disease.
The license collector forwards the file to the chief of police and affected departments and mails a decision within sixty days (4.04.080, 4.04.090). A felony conviction, including a guilty or nolo contendere plea, is prima facie disqualifying under 4.20.060. Filing an application does not authorize anyone to start selling. A permit lasts one year, expiring on the first of the month a year later (4.04.130), and cannot be transferred (4.04.150). A change in the type of goods or services requires a new application (4.20.080). A solicitor must show the permit to any citizen who asks (4.20.090) and to a police officer on demand (4.20.070). An applicant who is denied can request a hearing before the city manager within ten days of the mailed decision (4.04.115).
Violations & Fines
Violating Title 4, including selling or soliciting without a permit, is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in the county jail, or both, and each day is a separate offense. A conviction revokes and voids the person's permit (4.04.170). The city's police enforce Chapter 4.20 under section 4.20.070.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fountain Valley
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Solicitor Permits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Orange County handle solicitor permits.