Smithtown, NY Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)

Town Code § 215-18 makes it unlawful to solicit within the Town without first obtaining a valid license, bars anyone under 16 from soliciting unless accompanied by a parent or guardian, and makes an employer who hires an unlicensed solicitor subject to the same penalties. Applications go to the Department of Public Safety under § 215-20 and must include five years of residence and business history, a New York sales tax number, three 2-by-2-inch photographs, corporate ownership details if applicable, and a record of any prior criminal convictions.

The Town Clerk must approve or deny within 30 days of a completed application under § 215-21, with denial appealable to the Town Board; a denied applicant already operating must stop within 15 days. The license costs $25 per year per person under § 215-22, expires every December 31 regardless of issue date, and an authorized agent of an already-licensed employer can be added at no extra fee. or after sundown and bars entering property posted with a 'No Solicitors,' 'No Peddlers' or 'No Agents' sign.

Section 215-30 exempts registered charitable and religious organizations, discharged veterans with a Suffolk County peddler's license, regular delivery-route personnel, and commercial salesmen calling exclusively on businesses.