Hamden, CT Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)

Section 117.02 makes it unlawful, absent a state-statute exemption, to engage in vending, hawking or peddling on any public street or state highway within Hamden, or to peddle goods from house to house within the town, without first obtaining a permit from the Chief of Police or a designee. Under § 117.03 the permit is valid for one year from issuance and costs $200, unless the applicant qualifies for the $25 limited carnival/fair permit under § 117.04 or an exemption under § 117.08. Section 117.05 requires the written application to include the applicant's name and address, physical description, Connecticut taxation number, employer, the nature of the goods or services offered, the vehicle to be used, any prior arrests or convictions, two 2.5-inch by 2.5-inch photographs, and fingerprinting by the Police Department.

Section 117.06 requires every permitted vendor to display a Police Department-issued badge reading 'licensed/permitted vendor' and, if using a vehicle, matching signs on both sides. Under § 117.07 the Police Chief need not issue a permit to an applicant who has violated the chapter or been convicted of a felony, but an aggrieved applicant may appeal to the Legislative Council; permits are non-transferable. Section 117.08 exempts non-profit and charitable organizations from the fee, certain long-resident veteran peddlers, farmers selling their own produce, newspaper home delivery, and businesses displaying goods adjacent to their own established premises, and it does not extend town authority over state highways.