Spokane requires door-to-door commercial solicitors to obtain a Peddler/Solicitor License under SMC 8.02. Religious, political, and charitable canvassers are exempt under First Amendment protections but must respect No Soliciting notices.
Spokane Municipal Code Chapter 8.02 requires anyone engaging in door-to-door commercial sales, delivery solicitation, or itinerant merchant activity to obtain a Peddler/Solicitor License from the City Clerk. Applicants submit fingerprints, pass a background check, and pay an annual fee. Convictions for theft, fraud, or sex offenses within the past 10 years typically disqualify applicants. Licensed solicitors must display a city-issued badge and may only operate between 9 AM and dusk. Religious canvassers, political campaign volunteers, union organizers, and charitable fundraisers are exempt from licensing under Supreme Court precedent including Watchtower Bible & Tract Society v. Stratton, though they still must respect private property and No Soliciting signs. Any canvasser who ignores a posted No Soliciting sign or refuses to leave after being asked commits criminal trespass.
Unlicensed commercial soliciting: $250-$500. Ignoring No Soliciting sign: criminal trespass under SMC 10.10 plus up to $1,000 and 90 days jail.
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