Rothschild, WI Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)

Chapter 271 defines a DIRECT SELLER broadly, covering peddlers, solicitors and transient merchants who sell goods or take orders away from a permanent place of business, and § 271-1 makes it unlawful for any direct seller to engage in direct sales within the Village without being registered. The registration application filed with the Clerk under § 271-4 must list the seller's name, address, physical description, employer, vehicle information, the goods or services offered, up to three prior cities where the seller worked, and any ordinance or crime conviction within the last five years; a fee set by the Village Board is due when the form is returned.

Once filed, § 271-5 lets the Clerk route the application to the Chief of Police for an investigation, and registration must be refused if the application contains a material omission, if authorities in a prior city reported material complaints, or if the applicant was convicted of a crime or ordinance violation bearing on fitness to sell door to door within the last five years. Section 271-7C requires a $500 cash bond posted with the Clerk before selling begins, covering buyer refunds; once the bond drops below $250 the seller has 10 days after notice to replenish it or forfeit the registration.

Nine exemptions in § 271-3 cover routine deliveries, wholesale sales, farmers selling their own produce, invited home visits, repeat customers, and registered charitable organizations acting under Wis. Stat. § 440.42, so not every visitor needs to register. Denied applicants can appeal under § 271-6, and the Village Board can revoke an existing registration after notice and a hearing under § 271-9.