Gulfport, MS Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)

Section 5-113 requires any peddler or solicitor, as defined in Section 5-111, to apply for and hold a license before engaging in the activity within the city. The application goes to the city clerk in writing, and the clerk has five working days to approve or deny it. Out-of-town solicitors face an automatic five-day waiting period before they can begin so the police department can investigate the applicant's character and background; upon approval the clerk forwards a copy of the license to the chief of police.

Section 5-113 also restricts who may work residential neighborhoods at all: only citizens of Mississippi, or agents of corporations domiciled in the state, or agents of foreign corporations qualified to do business in the state, may solicit in residential areas. "Highway hold-up" solicitation, meaning stopping vehicles on the road to solicit, is banned outright. No license may issue to anyone previously convicted of violating this division or whose penal bond was forfeited, and the clerk can deny a license on a finding that the activity would endanger public health, welfare or safety.

Section 5-114 lists the sworn application contents: name, address, a description of the goods or business, employer information if applicable, vehicle description if one is used, a recent 2-by-2-inch photograph, and disclosure of felony or misdemeanor convictions from the last five years. Section 5-112 exempts farm and seafood sellers marketing their own household's produce or catch, transient vendors defined separately in Section 5-123, and non-commercial door-to-door advocates pursuing religious, political or charitable purposes, including 501(c) organizations.