Roanoke County, VA Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)

Chapter 19 of the Roanoke County Code, 'Solicitors and Solicitations,' requires a permit before anyone engages in 'commercial solicitation,' defined in § 19-1(a) as seeking orders for goods, wares, merchandise, foodstuffs or services, seeking insurance customers, or seeking magazine, newspaper or periodical subscriptions. Section 19-3(a) makes it unlawful to engage in commercial solicitation in the county without first obtaining a permit at a cost the board of supervisors sets from time to time; the applicant provides the commissioner of the revenue with a name, local address, acceptable identification and employer's name, and the code lets the applicant begin soliciting as soon as that information and payment are tendered, rather than waiting for a separate approval step.

A person who wants to solicit magazine or book subscriptions may also need a separate state permit from the commissioner of labor and industry under Va. 1-112. Section 19-3(b) exempts county school children soliciting for school-sponsored activities from the permit requirement entirely. m. Section 19-5 requires a solicitor to disclose their name and the company, product or charity they represent at the outset of the pitch and to carry and show identification on request. Chapter 19 does not reach charitable fundraising registration, which is separately covered by Article II's registration-with-the-county-administrator requirement under § 19-21. Violating any Chapter 19 provision, including soliciting without a permit or outside the permitted hours, is a class 4 misdemeanor under § 19-2.