James City County, VA Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)

James City County treats door-to-door selling as a regulated activity under chapter 18 of the county code. A canvasser, solicitor, or peddler, anyone traveling house to house or street to street taking orders, collecting advance payments, or selling goods, wares, or services, cannot operate within the county without first obtaining a valid registration certificate under section 18-2. The permit application goes to the James City County Police Department at least 15 days before the solicitation is to start, per section 18-3, and must disclose the applicant's name and address, any vehicle used, the goods being sold, the dates requested, who will run the operation, and whether the applicant has ever been convicted of a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude.

Section 18-4 lets the police department deny a certificate outright if the applicant has a felony or moral-turpitude conviction, more than one misdemeanor conviction, a fraud conviction, a prior conviction for violating peddling or soliciting laws elsewhere, or has lied on the application. Section 18-5 requires a photograph taken within 60 days and fingerprinting, which the police department forwards to the FBI. If the solicitor will take advance payment or deposits, section 18-6 requires a $500 bond or certified check, good for up to 60 days after final delivery, to protect anyone who pays in advance.

00 under section 18-8, nonrefundable, and section 18-9 caps every permit at 12 months. Section 18-10 makes the permit double as an ID card that must be carried and shown to any resident, officer, or customer on request. A denied applicant can ask the Board of Supervisors for a hearing within five days under section 18-12, with a hearing set within 30 days and a decision within 21 days after that. Farmers, milk and produce vendors, charitable and campaign canvassers, wholesale salesmen, children under 16, and regular route delivery drivers are exempt under section 18-1.