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

Novato Municipal Code § 14-8.2 bars commercial solicitation within the city without a permit from the chief of police. Section 14-8.1 defines three covered activities: a commercial peddler sells or delivers goods door to door or from a vehicle or any place other than a permanent store building; a commercial solicitor takes orders for future delivery of goods or services; and a commercial canvasser conducts a poll or survey door to door for commercial purposes. Telephone and U.S. mail solicitation fall outside the definition.

The verified application goes to the chief of police. It asks for the applicant's name, age, address and telephone number, the employer, a description of the product or service, the locations and dates of solicitation, any criminal conviction other than traffic violations, fingerprints, vehicle details and driver's license number, and a list of every person who will solicit under the applicant's supervision. Each of those people files a short verified application and pays a permit fee. Food sellers must show compliance with the Division of Environmental Health of the County of Marin. Applicants under 18 must supply a California work permit or proof of exemption. Any change in the stated facts must be reported to the chief within one business day.

The fee is set by city council resolution and sits on top of any Chapter VIII business license tax; veterans exempt under California Business and Professions Code Section 16102 do not pay it. The chief decides within 20 days of a completed application. Section 14-8.6 lists the denial grounds: missing information, false information, a permit revoked within one year, a missing work permit, a non-compliant vehicle or temporary structure, missing food-health evidence, and, for door-to-door residential work, a conviction for a listed Penal Code offense such as murder, robbery, burglary or rape. A condition or denial can be appealed to the city council by notice filed with the city clerk within 10 days.

Section 14-8.3 exempts public agencies, state-licensed professionals, newspaper delivery, growers selling on the premises where grown, and religious, political or charitable canvassing. Door-to-door charitable solicitation instead needs a separate permit under § 14-9.2, with the application filed at least 15 days before the solicitation starts. A solicitation in a park also needs a park permit under § 10-4.