Sheboygan, WI Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Registration authority
- City Clerk, with police investigation within 72 hours
- Registration fee
- $100.00 for investigation and processing
- Identification card
- Picture card obtained annually, worn on the outer garment
- Registration term
- Date of entry through December 31 of the application year
- Denial appeal
- To the common council within 14 days
- Special event vendors
- $5.00 each, sponsor registers at least five days before
- Forfeiture
- $10.00 to $1,000.00 plus costs under Sec. 78-27
Summary
Sheboygan makes it unlawful for a transient merchant to sell in the city without registering with the City Clerk. Sec. 78-59 requires a $100.00 fee for investigation and processing, an annual identification card with picture worn on the outer garment, and the registration runs only through December 31 of the year of application.
(a) In order to be registered as required in this division, the applicant shall: (1) Tender a fee of $100.00 to cover the cost of investigation and processing the registration. (2) Sign a statement appointing the clerk his agent to accept service of process in any civil action brought against the applicant in connection with the applicant's activities as a transient merchant, if the applicant cannot, after reasonable effort, be served personally. (3) Obtain an identification card with picture annually from the city clerk. (b) The identification card shall be properly and conspicuously displayed at all times by the applicant when engaged as a transient merchant in this city. ... (c) Upon payment of the fees and signing the statement, the clerk shall register the applicant as a transient merchant and date the entry. Such registration shall be valid from the date of entry through December 31 of the year in which application is made.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 78, Article II covers door-to-door and temporary retail sellers, called transient merchants. Sec. 78-56 makes it unlawful for any transient merchant to engage in sales within the city without being registered. Sec. 78-26 defines the term as an individual who sells merchandise temporarily in the city and does not become a permanent merchant there.
The application goes to the city clerk on the clerk's form. Sec. 78-57 asks for name, permanent and temporary address, age, height, weight and hair and eye color, the person or company the merchant represents, the make, model and license number of any vehicle, up to three recent cities where the applicant sold, a place of contact for at least seven days after leaving, and any conviction related to the business within the last five years. The applicant also shows a driver's license or other proof of identity, and a state health officer's certificate dated not more than 90 days earlier when food or clothing is handled.
The clerk can refer the application to the chief of police, whose investigation is to be completed within 72 hours. Under Sec. 78-58 the clerk shall refuse registration for a material omission or inaccurate statement, material complaints from the most recent cities, a conviction within five years directly related to fitness to engage in direct selling, or failure to comply with Sec. 78-57. Sec. 78-59 then requires the $100.00 fee, a signed statement appointing the clerk as agent to accept service of process, and the annual picture identification card, which must be conspicuously displayed attached to the outer garment.
A denied applicant has 14 days to appeal to the common council, which gives at least 48 hours' notice of the hearing under Sec. 78-61. The council can revoke a registration after notice and hearing, with at least 72 hours' notice, under Sec. 78-60. Sec. 78-62 offers an alternative for festivals, fairs and flea markets: the sponsor registers its vendors at least five days ahead for $5.00 per vendor. Sec. 78-28 exempts categories from registration, including anyone selling a service unconnected with merchandise.
Violations & Fines
Selling without registration or breaking the article draws a forfeiture of not less than $10.00 or more than $1,000.00 per violation plus costs of prosecution under Sec. 78-27, and each day is a separate offense. A special event sponsor that fails to register its vendors owes $10.00 per unregistered vendor on top of the $5.00 fee under Sec. 78-62(b).
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
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