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

Chapter 5.04 of the Paramount Municipal Code sets up two permit tracks. For the businesses listed in Article 3, § 5.04.120 requires a permit from the City Clerk in addition to the license fee, and no person can operate one of them without first obtaining it. Section 5.04.130 lists Solicitors among them. The Code prints the entry as the single word Solicitors. It attaches no definition, no special fee and no Sheriff-approval condition to it, unlike the pawnbroker, auctioneer and junk dealer entries nearby.

The application is filed with the City Clerk and is signed and verified by the applicant (§ 5.04.160). It states the applicant's name and address, the name and address of any employer or, for a partnership, corporation or association, its partners or principal officers, the nature of the business, the place where it will be conducted, a brief description of the equipment, a personal description of the applicant, and evidence of identity of the character the City Clerk requires. Fingerprints and thumbprints are required only when specifically required. Unless the chapter states otherwise, the filing fee is one dollar, payable in advance, and the license fee for the business accompanies the application (§ 5.04.170).

The City Clerk grants the permit after investigating and processing the application, provided all terms and conditions are met (§ 5.04.180), and cannot issue a permit for any activity made unlawful by the Code, another City ordinance, or State or Federal law (§ 5.04.150). The permit is posted in a conspicuous place where the business is conducted (§ 5.04.200), it is not transferable without the consent of the Council (§ 5.04.210), and the City Council can revoke or suspend it (§ 5.04.220).

Separately, Solicitors are named in Group 1 of § 5.12.075, which sets the business license tax at $0.30 per $1,000 gross receipts. Minors under 18 receive a free license for part-time activities but remain subject to all permit and registration procedures (§ 5.12.040). Charitable solicitations carry their own registration with the City Clerk under § 5.08.010.