San Bernardino, CA Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit issuer
- City Clerk
- Permit term
- One year
- Background check window
- 45 calendar days
- Disqualifiers
- Moral turpitude/theft conviction, 10 yrs
- Fee waiver
- Tax-exempt fundraising orgs
- Exempt
- Children fundraising for school/charity
Summary
San Bernardino requires a solicitor to obtain a peddling or soliciting permit from the City Clerk before going door to door or through the streets taking orders for future delivery or asking for charitable donations. Municipal Code Chapter 5.19 sets the application, background-check and appeal process.
SOLICITING. The act by any person of going from house to house, place to place or in or along the streets within the city, selling or taking orders for, or offering to sell or take orders for, goods, wares, merchandise or other things of value for future delivery, or for services to be performed in the future, or asking for charitable donations. ... It shall be unlawful for any person to engage in the business of ... soliciting orders for goods or services; or of soliciting donations for charity in an open public place or door to door within the city without first having secured a peddling or soliciting permit. A separate permit shall be required for each person who will be peddling or soliciting.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-2: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ord. MC-1666, passed 8-5-2026).
Full Breakdown
020(A) makes it unlawful to solicit orders or charitable donations, in an open public place or door to door, without first securing a permit, and requires a separate permit for each solicitor. 030 application asks for the applicant's name, address and phone number, any conviction within the past ten years for moral turpitude, criminal battery, fraud, burglary or theft, fingerprints if requested by the Police Department, a copy of the state sales tax permit, a description of what is being solicited, and a statement that the applicant need not register under Penal Code § 290. 040. 150. 080 exempts children selling for school, charity or other fundraising events entirely.
Violations & Fines
Soliciting without a permit, or failing to display an issued permit while soliciting, violates Chapter 5.19 and is a misdemeanor under § 5.19.090, punishable under the citywide general penalty § 1.12.010 by up to six months in county jail, a fine up to $1,000, or both, with § 1.12.020 making each day a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do door-to-door solicitors need a city permit in San Bernardino?
What disqualifies a solicitor permit applicant?
Can charities avoid the permit fee?
Are kids selling for school fundraisers exempt?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Bernardino
California rules heatmap·Compare San Bernardino to another location·View the California soliciting & door-to-door overview
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Solicitor Permits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Bernardino County handle solicitor permits.