Shelby County, TN Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- License basis
- State peddler's license, T.C.A. § 67-4-101 et seq.
- State exemptions
- Indigent, handicapped persons & ag associations, § 8-183
- Protected activity
- Religious literature exempt, § 8-184
- Buffer zone
- 200 feet from open-air/farmers markets, § 8-185
- General penalty
- Up to $50/violation, § 1-4
Summary
Anyone peddling, soliciting or canvassing door-to-door in unincorporated Shelby County must first hold a state peddler's license under T.C.A. § 67-4-101 et seq. before the county's itinerant vendor ordinance covers the activity. The ordinance exempts state-law-exempt persons and religious literature, and bars soliciting within 200 feet of an open air or farmers market.
Upon obtaining a license in accordance with the provisions of T.C.A. § 67-4-101 et seq., an individual may engage in the lawful activities of an itinerant vendor/peddler subject to the provisions of this article. ... In the interest and protection of the general public, to protect highly congested streets, highways and rights-of-way, and to preserve law and order, it shall be unlawful for any itinerant vendor/peddler to buy, sell or offer to sell any goods, wares or merchandise, or to solicit patronage for any person, business, or service by word of mouth, or gesture, or by distributing handbills or other printed matter, or by use of electrical, mechanical, or sound-making devices to entice or persuade any person to buy, sell, or accept goods, wares, or merchandise within 200 feet of open air markets, farmers markets and public-designated areas, or other such areas, except as may be otherwise regulated in this Code.
Full Breakdown
, that individual may engage in the lawful activities of an itinerant vendor/peddler subject to Article VI of Chapter 8. Section 8-181 defines itinerant vendor/peddler broadly to include a peddler, solicitor, canvasser, foot peddler or hawker who sells goods, wares or merchandise, or solicits patronage by word of mouth, gesture, handbill or electrical, mechanical or sound-making device, from a temporary or transient location on the public streets, highways or rights-of-way outside a city's corporate limits. § 67-4-102's carve-outs for indigent and handicapped persons and agricultural associations.
Section 8-184 keeps the article from reaching constitutionally protected activity, so distributing religious pamphlets or other literature protected by freedom of speech, religion or the press falls outside the licensing requirement. Section 8-185 adds a location restriction on top of the license: no itinerant vendor/peddler may solicit or sell within 200 feet of an open air market, farmers market or public-designated square, in the interest of protecting congested streets and preserving order. Section 8-186 separately bars peddling from a vehicle or movable receptacle and erecting sidewalk stands on public ways.
Violations & Fines
Article VI carries no fine of its own, so Shelby County Code § 1-4's general penalty applies: soliciting without the required state license, inside the 200-foot buffer, or from a prohibited stand or vehicle is fined up to $50.00 per violation, with each day of continued violation counted separately, and unpaid fines can add up to $1,000.00 in cumulative additional penalties.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to go door-to-door selling in Shelby County?
Is anyone exempt from the license requirement?
How close to a farmers market can a peddler work?
What is the penalty for peddling without a license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Shelby County
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