Janesville, WI Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)

Janesville Code of General Ordinances Ch. 12, Art. XIV regulates solicitation. Section 12-421 declares that all solicitation within the City, meaning selling, offering to sell, taking sales orders, or requesting anything of value away from a permanent business location, is regulated by the article, and every solicitor, exempt or not, must follow every non-registration requirement. Section 12-427 requires each person, before engaging in solicitation, to file for registration with the City Clerk, pay the permit fee, and obtain and hold a valid solicitor permit; the non-refundable fee amount is set by City Council resolution in the fee schedule under Section 12-430(c).

The registration form under Section 12-430(a) requires the applicant's name and address, physical description, employer information, vehicle details, the last three municipalities where the applicant solicited, and a five-year criminal and ordinance-violation history, plus two photographs. The Chief of Police investigates and may approve or disapprove the application under Section 12-431, disapproving for a material omission, a related violation in the past five years, or a finding that the activity would not serve the community's health, safety or welfare. Several categories are exempt from registration under Section 12-428, including newspaper and dairy route deliverers, wholesale sellers, and charitable-organization volunteers, though exempt solicitors still must follow the non-registration rules in Sections 12-424 through 12-426. A denied applicant may appeal to the City Council within five days under Section 12-432.