Berkeley County, SC Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- In-county license fee
- $25.00 per year
- Out-of-state fee
- $100.00 per year
- Application turnaround
- 24 business hours
- Curfew
- 9:00 a.m. to sunset only
- Max fine
- $500.00, 30 days
Summary
Berkeley County requires anyone peddling, hawking, or soliciting door-to-door to hold an annual license under Chapter 12 of the county code. Fees run $25 to $100 depending on where the peddler's business is based, and Sec. 12-26 bans solicitation before 9:00 a.m., after sunset, or on Sundays without an invitation.
Peddler means any person who goes from house to house or from place to place soliciting, selling or taking orders for or offering to sell or take orders for any goods, wares, merchandise, or services; except vendors of newspapers, magazines, vegetables, tobacco, provisions of any kind or agricultural products or to sales by sample by persons traveling for established commercial houses. ... Every person engaged in or intending to engage in the profession of peddler, in whole or in part, within Berkeley County, is required to pay an annual license fee to obtain a license. ... No peddler shall ... Engage in the business of peddling within the county between the hours of one-half hour before sunset and 9:00 a.m. the following morning, or at any time on Sundays, except by specific appointment with or invitation from the prospective customer.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 37).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 12, Article II of the Berkeley County Code of Ordinances requires every peddler, defined in Sec. 12-21 as anyone who goes house to house or place to place selling or taking orders for goods, wares, merchandise, or services, to hold an annual license. Sec. 00 for those based out of state, running through the last day of December after issuance. Sec. 12-23 requires the license official to issue the license within 24 business hours of a complete application unless the applicant has a felony or moral-turpitude misdemeanor conviction within the past seven years or the application contains a false statement, and Sec.
12-24 lets the official deny an incomplete, false, or unlawful application, appealable to county council under Sec. 12-28 within ten business days. Sec. or at any time on Sunday except by specific customer invitation. Sec. 12-27 requires the license to be displayed at a fixed business location or carried by a transient peddler, and any address change must be reported to the license official within two days. The chapter exempts vendors of newspapers, magazines, vegetables, tobacco, and agricultural products, and sales by sample to established commercial houses, from the peddler definition itself under Sec. 12-21.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 12-30 makes any violation of Chapter 12 punishable by a fine up to $500.00, imprisonment up to 30 days, or both, with each day a violation continues counted as a separate offense. The license official can also suspend or revoke a license under Sec. 12-25 for a fraudulently obtained license, a breached license condition, a disqualifying conviction, or an unlawful activity or nuisance tied to the business, effective immediately on written notice.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is a peddler license in Berkeley County?
What hours can a solicitor knock on doors in Berkeley County?
Can Berkeley County revoke a peddler's license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Berkeley County
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