Peoria, IL Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)

Peoria's peddler/solicitor framework is codified in the City Code's licensing chapter and administered by the City Comptroller's Office (419 Fulton St., 309-494-8526). The 10:00 a.m. to 9:59 p.m. operating window is among the more permissive in central Illinois — a few cities cap solicitor hours at sunset or 8:00 p.m. The fingerprint-based criminal background check requirement is standard. Exemptions from the peddler classification (and thus from the license requirement) include: persons selling milk or cream, farmers selling their own homegrown products, newspaper workers, unpaid charitable/civic/religious fundraisers, vendors registered with the City for pre-approved events on City-owned property, handmade-craft sellers at community-sponsored events, and persons delivering goods that were already ordered in advance. Peddlers must respect 'No Peddlers' and 'No Soliciting' signs and must leave a residence immediately upon request. Operations from fixed locations on the street are prohibited (a peddler must keep moving). A 200-foot separation from schools and playgrounds is required during their hours of operation. Seven named neighborhoods and HOAs have city-recognized peddling prohibitions: Chadwick Estates, Chadwick Place, Rollingbrook, Sommer Place, Oakbrook, Deerbrook Estates, and Weaverridge Master HOA. First Amendment-protected activity (political canvassing, religious proselytizing, charitable solicitation) is generally exempt from licensing under Watchtower Bible v. Stratton, 536 U.S. 150 (2002), but Peoria can still impose content-neutral time, place, and manner regulations. Peddling without a required license is cited under the City's municipal ordinance and carries a fine, with the City of Peoria's published practice describing a $125 citation for unlicensed peddling.