Freehold Township, NJ Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)

Chapter 288, Article I, adopted 3-21-2013 by Ord. No. O-13-7, makes it unlawful under § 288-2 for any person to solicit, sell, or take orders for goods or services, or to engage in commercial canvassing anywhere in the Township without first obtaining a license. The license is non-transferable, and a separate license is required for every agent or employee who works under it. To apply, § 288-4 requires applicants to be at least 18 and to submit a private criminal history background check, run no more than 14 days before filing, sent directly from the background-check agency to the Chief of Police.

Under § 288-5, the Chief of Police reviews that report and denies a license to anyone convicted of a crime or municipal ordinance violation bearing on fitness to solicit, including offenses involving violence or its threat; a guilty plea or nolo contendere disposition counts as a conviction for this purpose. Section 288-6 sets the license fee under Chapter 150, Fees, paid at application and non-refundable. , Monday through Saturday, with no Sunday calls at all. Section 288-8 requires every solicitor to wear a Township-issued badge showing their name, their sponsoring organization's name and address in the largest lettering on the badge, the license expiration date, a disclaimer that the Township neither endorses nor disapproves of the organization, and the solicitor's photograph.

The code of conduct in § 288-9 bars entering a home without an express invitation, requires leaving immediately if a resident asks, and bars soliciting any property on the Township's 'Do Not Solicit' List. A. 45:24-9, regulated public utility employees, routine deliveries, newspaper carriers, and wholesalers calling on retailers.