Islip, NY Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)

Chapter 46, Solicitors and Canvassers, covers anyone traveling house to house or place to place taking orders for goods, wares, merchandise or future services (§ 46-2). Section 46-1 bars that activity anywhere in Islip without a license issued under the chapter. To get one, § 46-3 requires a sworn, duplicate written application to the Town Clerk disclosing the applicant's name and both home and local addresses, a description of the business and goods, employer information if applicable, a recent 2x2 photograph, two Suffolk County references who can vouch for character, any criminal or ordinance-violation history, vehicle and driver's license information if a vehicle is used, and a New York sales tax ID or Social Security number.

The Town Clerk investigates the applicant's business and moral character under § 46-4 and may deny the license outright if the findings are unsatisfactory; a temporary license can bridge the gap while a full application is pending but runs no longer than 45 days. The annual fee is $100 per solicitor under § 46-5A, with a $25 add-on fee for agents certified by an already-licensed principal, and mid-year applicants after July 1 pay half the annual rate. Licensees get a Town Clerk-issued ID card under § 46-7 and must carry and exhibit their license on request, and Suffolk County police officers are directed under § 46-9 to demand that license from anyone seen soliciting who isn't recognized as already licensed. All annual licenses expire December 31 regardless of issue date (§ 46-13).