Menifee, CA Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Who must be licensed
- Anyone soliciting sales or orders door to door
- Background check
- Fingerprinting and Chief of Police investigation
- Dual license rule
- Separate license if also selling commercially
- Excluded activity
- Noncommercial canvassing is not covered
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor and public nuisance under Sec. 5.01.260
Summary
Anyone going house to house in Menifee to sell goods, take orders, or conduct surveys meets the Code's SOLICITOR definition and must hold a business license under Menifee Code of Ordinances Section 5.01.080 before knocking on a single door, with a separate license required if the person also runs a commercial business.
Before solicitors may obtain a business license, and as a condition of renewal and/or continuation of such business license, all solicitors, as defined, shall comply with the requirements of this Code. The City Council by resolution may set additional appropriate fees for such door-to-door business licenses. If a business is required to obtain a business license for commercial activity within the city pursuant to this chapter and conducts such business in a manner that also meets the definition of solicitor under this chapter, the business must obtain a license for both the commercial activity and the door-to-door solicitation business.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-15: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ordinance 2026-432, passed 4-15-2026).
Full Breakdown
020 defines a SOLICITOR broadly: any person, resident or not, who goes house to house, or works any street, sidewalk, alley, park, or public place in the city, soliciting or taking orders for goods, wares, merchandise, magazines, periodicals, or other personal property, or who takes advance payments, sells coupons or certificates redeemable for future goods or services, or solicits public opinion polls or consumer surveys. The definition folds in 'canvasser' and 'door-to-door solicitor' and reaches anyone who uses a building, vehicle, or other location to exhibit samples and take future-delivery orders, but it excludes noncommercial activities.
080 then layers additional license conditions on top of the general business license chapter: before a solicitor can get, renew, or keep a business license, the solicitor must comply with the Code's requirements, and the City Council may set additional fees specifically for door-to-door licenses by resolution. 090, an applicant is fingerprinted and photographed, and the Chief of Police investigates the applicant's background and criminal history before the Finance Department issues the license. 080 requires it to obtain a second, separate license for the door-to-door solicitation activity in addition to its commercial license.
Violations & Fines
Soliciting door to door in Menifee without the required license, or without the separate door-to-door license when a business already holds a commercial license, is a misdemeanor and public nuisance under Section 5.01.260. The city enforces the requirement through administrative citation, injunction, or criminal prosecution, and the Finance Department can deny or revoke a solicitor's license under Sections 5.01.140 and 5.01.150 for false statements or a disqualifying background investigation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do political canvassers need a Menifee solicitor license?
Can a company skip the solicitor license if it already has a business license?
What does the city check before issuing a solicitor license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Menifee
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