Pasadena, CA Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required for
- charitable/religious solicitation (§5.34.030)
- Application lead time
- at least 15 days (§5.34.040)
- Fundraising cost cap
- 20% of funds raised presumed reasonable ceiling
- Optional bond
- not less than $1,000 (§5.34.060.A.8)
- Max permit term
- 90 days, one 90-day extension (§5.34.070)
- Minors
- no door-to-door solicitation sunset-sunrise (§5.34.025)
- Violation penalty
- up to $500 fine / 6 months jail (§5.34.180)
Summary
Anyone soliciting contributions for a charitable purpose in Pasadena, including door-to-door canvassing, needs a permit from the city manager under Municipal Code Chapter 5.34. Solicitors under 18 are barred from working the streets between sunset and sunrise, and the permit process includes fingerprinting, financial review and a cost cap.
5.34.030 - Permit—Required when. No person shall solicit contributions for any charitable purpose without a permit from the city manager authorizing such solicitation... 5.34.025 - Solicitations by minors. A. No person under the age of 18 years old shall engage in any act of door-to-door solicitation or any other act of solicitation which is to be conducted on public streets, parkways or sidewalks between sunset and sunrise of the following day.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 79 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
16. 040) must be filed at least 15 days before the solicitation and disclose the organization's officers, the purpose and amount to be raised, a financial statement from the prior year, and the names of every agent, solicitor and promoter, each of whom must be photographed and fingerprinted by the police department. 00 and treats fundraising costs above 20% of the amount collected as presumptively unreasonable absent special facts. 080). 025 separately bars anyone under 18 from door-to-door solicitation on public streets, parkways or sidewalks between sunset and sunrise, and bars anyone from helping a minor break that rule. 070, separate from the charitable-solicitation permit.
Violations & Fines
Section 5.34.180 makes any violation of Chapter 5.34 a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than $500.00, imprisonment in the city jail for not more than six months, or both, with each day of a continuing violation a separate offense. Section 5.34.130 lets the manager immediately suspend a permit on evidence of a violation or misrepresentation, with a revocation hearing held within five days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Pasadena require a permit for door-to-door charitable solicitation?
Can minors solicit door-to-door in Pasadena?
What's the penalty for soliciting without a permit in Pasadena?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pasadena
California rules heatmap·Compare Pasadena to another location·View the California soliciting & door-to-door overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Solicitor Permits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle solicitor permits.