Royal Oak, MI Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)

Chapter 526, Article II, Solicitations, requires a City permit before anyone solicits money, credit, property or other things of value for a charitable, religious, patriotic, civic, educational or philanthropic purpose within Royal Oak, under § 526-6; the only exemption covers solicitations conducted exclusively within an organization's own membership by its own officers and members. Section 526-7 requires the applicant to file an application with the City Clerk disclosing the purpose of the solicitation, who will disburse the proceeds, the proposed solicitation dates, and all wages, fees or commissions to be paid to solicitors.

Section 526-9 conditions issuance on the applicant actually being engaged in a qualifying charitable or civic activity, on proceeds being used exclusively for that purpose, and on solicitation expenses not exceeding 30% of gross proceeds, so that at least 70% of each donation reaches the stated cause; the City Clerk may depart from that ratio when a solicitation is incidental to selling something of value. The City Clerk may revoke a permit under § 526-14 for misrepresentation after a hearing before the City Commission. Any violation of the article, including filing a false application, is enforced under § 526-15.

Separately, Article V requires anyone peddling, meaning traveling house to house or street to street to sell goods or take orders, to carry a valid City peddling license under § 526-33, obtained through a Police Department background check under § 526-35.