Napa, CA Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)

Following Reed v. Town of Gilbert (2015), content-based regulation of speech is presumptively unconstitutional, and California cities have moved away from older solicitor permit schemes that treated charitable, commercial, and political speech differently. Napa's current path is a content-neutral business-licensing requirement administered by the Finance Department through HdL's online portal. Any person without a fixed place of business in Napa who solicits orders, sells goods door-to-door, or distributes commercial handbills must apply for and carry a business license. Applications and renewals run through napa.hdlgov.com, and the City's Permits & Licenses page lists the Finance Department contact at (707) 257-9508. The Napa Police Department's own permit page does not list a stand-alone solicitor or canvasser permit. Residents who post a clear 'No Soliciting' sign at the entrance put visitors on notice; entry past the sign can support a California Penal Code 602 (trespass) citation. Noncommercial canvassing - religious, political, and charitable - is constitutionally protected and is treated differently from purely commercial peddling, though the business-license obligation can still attach to paid commercial fundraising activity.