Muncie, IN Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)

Muncie's Chapter 116 splits solicitation into three kinds of activity, each with its own permit. A canvasser, solicitor, or literature distributor first files a two-week-advance application with the city controller listing a physical description, prior criminal history, and the organization represented, then is fingerprinted at the police department before a $25.00 permit under § 116.12 issues; that permit lasts one month under § 116.13. The same person also needs a separate identification permit under §§ 116.16-116.18, costing $25.00 per day it is granted and issued within 48 hours, which must be shown to every person solicited under § 116.19.

Section 116.14(5) bars door-to-door sales between sundown and 10:00 a.m. Section 116.02 exempts organizations engaged in noncommercial, religious, political, or IRS 501(c)(3) charitable activity from the permit itself, exempts newspaper carriers and utility and government employees from the identification-permit sections, and exempts candidates for public office entirely; the board of works can also waive the chapter for annual festivals, carnivals, or fairs in designated areas. A transient merchant selling goods rather than just canvassing instead needs a § 116.20 license costing $50.00 per day (14-day maximum) plus a bond of at least $1,000.00 or twice the inventory value under § 116.22. The city controller can revoke any permit after notice and hearing under § 116.15 for fraud or false statements.