Lansing, MI Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)

Section 844.01 defines the covered activities broadly: a "canvasser or solicitor" takes orders for future delivery house-to-house or street-to-street; a "peddler" sells and delivers goods on the spot from a wagon, vehicle or on foot; and a "transient merchant" rents space temporarily to sell stock in the City. Section 844.02 requires all of them to get a City license before starting, unless the activity happens under a parks-and-recreation special-event permit instead.

Section 844.03 spells out the application: name, local and legal address, description of goods sold, employer credentials if applicable, vehicle description, three 2-inch by 2-inch photographs taken within 60 days, fingerprints, a sworn statement of any prior convictions, and proof of any other required licenses. Section 844.04 sends the application to both the Chief of Police and City Treasurer for a moral-character and business investigation before the Clerk approves or denies it, and Section 844.06 requires the Clerk to issue a photo-ID badge marked "Licensed Peddler" that must be worn visibly while working. Section 844.13 conditions the license on filing a $1,000.00 indemnity bond covering damage to public property and unpaid fines.

Section 844.12 limits hours: no peddling, soliciting or canvassing in the City after 8:00 p.m. or sunset, whichever comes first, or before 9:00 a.m., except under a Principal Shopping District policy. Section 844.08 separately bars sound-amplifying systems, horns, bells or shouting to attract buyers on streets, alleys or parks. Licenses run one year from issuance under Section 844.17, and Section 844.09 requires licensees to show their license on any resident's request.