Frederick, MD Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)

City Code § 29-4 defines a 'peddler' as any person selling, or offering to sell, commodities from house to house, place to place, or from a fixed pack, wagon, or other movable structure, and separately defines a 'vendor' as someone temporarily occupying a place of business without a permanent location. Section 29-5 requires a license for both before doing business, with narrow exemptions for wholesale sales to retailers, future-delivery orders, invited in-person visits to a home or business, deliveries to regular customers, and licensed produce stands, wineries, breweries, or mobile food units covered elsewhere in the chapter.

To apply, § 29-6 requires the Department to collect the applicant's name, address, photograph, Maryland sales tax number, a description of the proposed route or fixed location and hours, a description of the goods to be sold, any criminal or municipal-code conviction history for the applicant or anyone managing the business, and, for food sales, proof of county health department approval, plus the application fee set by the Fee Schedule Ordinance. Under § 29-7, the Director weighs the applicant's fitness and any relevant history with a previous license before approving, denying in writing, or attaching reasonable conditions; the Director's decision is final.

Licenses run through midnight on the first December 31 after issuance regardless of when in the year they were issued, with the full fee due no matter the issuance date. Section 29-10 confines licensed peddlers and vendors to residential property only, bars them from the Frederick Town Historic District except Carroll Creek Linear Park, and requires them to stay at least 1,000 feet from any City-sanctioned special event unless separately licensed for that event under Article III.