Pacifica, CA Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Annual license tax
- $50, paid in advance
- Covers
- House-to-house, street and telephone solicitation
- Legal test
- Continuing-basis service, per Collector's opinion
- Prior permit ordinance
- Repealed effective March 12, 1997
- Enforcing office
- License Collector; Director of Public Safety assists
Summary
Anyone going door to door, working the streets, or telephone-soliciting in the City of Pacifica to sell goods, wares or services on a continuing basis must pay an annual $50 business license tax in advance under Municipal Code § 3-1.307. Pacifica's older, dedicated solicitor/peddler permit ordinance was repealed in 1997, leaving this license tax as the City's operative control on door-to-door sales.
Every person and their agents conducting the business of solicitor within the City shall pay an annual license tax of Fifty and no/100ths ($50.00) Dollars in advance. ... For the purposes of this section, "solicitor" shall mean and include all persons who engage in the business of going from house to house, from place to place, or in or along the streets of the City and/or by telephone selling or taking orders for, or offering to sell or take orders for, goods, wares, merchandise, or other things of value or services and who, in the opinion of the Collector, are serving the citizens of the City on a continuing basis.
Full Breakdown
, and an even older Title 5 peddler/solicitor regulation chapter was repealed back in 1975. 307: every person, and their agents, conducting the business of solicitor within the City must pay an annual $50 license tax in advance to the License Collector. The code defines "solicitor" broadly: anyone who goes house to house, from place to place, along the City's streets, or who solicits by telephone, selling or taking orders for goods, wares, merchandise or services, and who, in the License Collector's opinion, serves Pacifica residents on a continuing basis rather than making a single, isolated sale.
That continuing-basis judgment call sits with the Collector rather than a fixed calendar rule. 304, who pay $25 semiannually. 137, may examine places of business and, with an inspection warrant, enter and demand exhibition of a license. 132.
Violations & Fines
Failing to pay the $50 annual solicitor tax, or misrepresenting a material fact to the License Collector to obtain a license, is punishable under the general penalty chapter, Chapter 2 of Title 1 of the Code, per § 3-1.138. The unpaid tax is a debt the City may sue to collect under § 3-1.134, and the License Collector or any police officer may demand to see a solicitor's license on the spot under § 3-1.137.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Pacifica require a permit for door-to-door solicitors?
How does Pacifica define a "solicitor" under its tax code?
What happens if a solicitor in Pacifica doesn't pay the license tax?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pacifica
California rules heatmap·Compare Pacifica to another location·View the California soliciting & door-to-door overview
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Solicitor Permits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Mateo County handle solicitor permits.