Palm Beach Gardens, FL Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Citation
- Palm Beach Gardens Code §§ 18-32, 18-37
- Permit issuer
- Palm Beach County Clerk of Circuit Court
- Governing statute
- F.S. ch. 501
- Allowed hours
- 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
- Exempt goods
- milk, medicine, newspapers
- Adopted
- Ord. No. 2, 2018, April 5, 2018
Summary
Anyone conducting home solicitation sales, door-to-door consumer sales made away from a fixed store, in the City of Palm Beach Gardens must hold a valid home solicitation sales permit issued through the Palm Beach County Clerk of Circuit Court under Code § 18-32. City ordinance also fixes the hours: no home solicitation sales before 9:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m., under Section 18-37, and police officers have a specific duty to check for the permit.
Sec. 18-32. - Permit required. Each person who is employed or intends to conduct home solicitation sales as defined in this article within the city shall obtain pursuant to F.S. ch. 501, a valid home solicitation sales permit from the Palm Beach County Clerk of Circuit Court. ... ... Sec. 18-37. - Hours of operation. (a)No person shall engage in home solicitation sales except from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.(b)It shall be unlawful for any person to conduct home solicitation sales any order for the sale of any goods, wares, merchandise, periodical, or publication or to sell or offer for sale any goods, wares, or merchandise, with the exception of milk, medicine, and newspapers, from house to house, between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m.
Full Breakdown
Article II of Chapter 18, Home Solicitation Sales, reenacted by Ordinance No. 2, 2018 on April 5, 2018, defines a home solicitation sale in Section 18-31 as a consumer sale, lease, or rental over $25.00 that is negotiated away from the seller's fixed place of business, covering classic door-to-door and telephone sales pitches but excluding transactions at a fair or trade show and sales the buyer initiated by requesting specific goods. Section 18-32 requires the seller to obtain the underlying permit under Chapter 501, Florida Statutes, from the Palm Beach County Clerk of Circuit Court rather than from Palm Beach Gardens city hall, and Section 18-33 requires the permit to be carried at all times and displayed to a prospective buyer before the pitch begins.
Section 18-34's exclusions track Chapter 501 directly. Locally, Section 18-36 puts the enforcement duty on the street: any Palm Beach Gardens police officer may require a person seen conducting home solicitation sales to produce the required permit and certificate on the spot. Section 18-37 layers the city's own time restriction on top of the state permit requirement, allowing sales only between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. and separately banning house-to-house sales of goods, wares, merchandise, periodicals, or publications outside those hours, with narrow carve-outs for milk, medicine, and newspaper delivery.
Violations & Fines
Section 18-35 places enforcement of the underlying Chapter 501 permit requirement with the state attorney general or state attorney, who may sue to enjoin a violator. Locally, a Palm Beach Gardens police officer who finds a solicitor without a displayed permit, or operating outside the 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. window set by Section 18-37, can act on Section 18-36's demand-and-produce authority and refer the matter for prosecution.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do door-to-door sellers need a city permit in Palm Beach Gardens?
What hours can a door-to-door seller knock in Palm Beach Gardens?
Can a police officer stop a solicitor to check their permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Palm Beach Gardens
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Solicitor Permits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Palm Beach County handle solicitor permits.