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Summit County, OH Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)

Significant Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified August 2026

Key Facts

License issuer
Office of Consumer Affairs
Fee
$35, expires every December 31
Vehicle vendors
BCI background check required
Minimum age
18 to solicit or hold a license
Violation
minor misdemeanor, up to $100 fine

Summary

Anyone who peddles, hawks, solicits or canvasses door-to-door in Summit County needs a license from the Office of Consumer Affairs before making a single sale. Section 775.02 makes the license mandatory, Section 775.03 spells out a detailed application including a background check, and Section 775.04 sets the fee at thirty-five dollars for a term that always ends December 31.

City-specific rules exist: Akron has its own solicitor permits rules that differ from Summit County's county-level regulations. If you live in Akron, check the city-specific page instead.

No itinerant vendor, hawker, peddler, solicitor, or canvasser shall sell or offer for sale any goods, merchandise, produce or anything of value in the County, or solicit or hawk any goods, merchandise or anything of value, without first obtaining a license therefor from the Office of Consumer Affairs.

Full Breakdown

02 of the Summit County Codified Ordinances states that no itinerant vendor, hawker, peddler, solicitor or canvasser may sell, offer for sale, solicit or hawk anything of value in the county without first obtaining a license from the Office of Consumer Affairs. 03(a) requires the application to disclose the applicant's name, physical description, date of birth, Social Security number, home address, employer information and Tax ID Number, every place of residence and employment in the preceding year, the goods or services being sold, any prior felony conviction, and, if the applicant uses a vehicle to solicit, its make, model, year, license plate and proof of insurance; applicants selling perishable food must also show a health department certificate.

03(b) requires a valid government photo ID and bars the county from issuing any license until it has reviewed a required background check, filed at least ten days before issuance. 03(c) adds a BCI fingerprint background check through the Summit County Sheriff for any vendor who sells from a motor vehicle, with the applicant paying all BCI processing costs. 03(d) disqualifies anyone convicted of a sex offense involving a minor, drug trafficking within seven years, assault within seven years, or unlawful weapons possession within five years. 03(e) and (f) bar anyone under eighteen from soliciting or holding a license. 05 bars transferring a license to anyone else.

Violations & Fines

Selling without the required license, or working as an unlicensed employee peddler under Section 775.09, is a minor misdemeanor under Section 775.99(a) punishable by up to one hundred dollars per offense. The Office of Consumer Affairs can also revoke an issued license under Section 775.10 for fraud, misrepresentation, an unfair or deceptive sales practice, unfitness for the business, or any other Chapter 775 violation.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a Summit County peddler license cost?
Section 775.04 sets the fee at thirty-five dollars for a license that expires every December 31 regardless of the issue date, so a license bought in November still lapses at year's end and must be renewed for the next calendar year.
Does a door-to-door solicitor need a background check?
Every applicant answers felony-conviction and prior-activity questions under Section 775.03(a) and (d), and anyone selling from a motor vehicle must also complete a BCI fingerprint background check through the Summit County Sheriff under Section 775.03(c) before the Office of Consumer Affairs will issue the license.
Can anyone hold a Summit County solicitor's license?
No. Section 775.03(d) disqualifies applicants with certain convictions, including sex offenses against minors, recent drug trafficking, recent assault or recent unlawful weapons possession, and Section 775.03(e) and (f) bar anyone under eighteen from soliciting or being licensed.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Summit County

All Summit County rules

Compare Summit County to another location·View the Ohio soliciting & door-to-door overview

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