Spring Hill, TN Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)

Section 9-201(B) makes the permit personal: nobody can work under a permit issued to someone else. Section 9-202 exempts wholesalers selling to dealers, newsboys, bona fide merchants who merely deliver goods in the regular course of business, and bona fide charitable, religious, patriotic or philanthropic organizations. Everyone else files a sworn written application with the City Recorder. It asks for a physical description, permanent home and local addresses, the goods to be sold, employer credentials if the applicant is employed, how long the applicant wants to do business, a recent photograph about two inches square showing head and shoulders, the names of at least two reputable local property owners as references, any convictions including municipal ordinance violations, and the last three cities where the applicant worked.

The $10 fee under § 9-203(B) pays for the investigation. The Chief of Police investigates and reports to the City Recorder within 72 hours. An unsatisfactory report on moral reputation or business responsibility means the Recorder notifies the applicant that no permit will be issued. A satisfactory report means the Recorder issues the permit once privilege taxes are paid and the $1,000 bond under § 9-206 is on file. A denied applicant appeals to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen by filing a written statement with the Mayor within 14 days after notice.

Permits expire on the same date as the permittee's privilege license and renew without cost if a new privilege license is obtained within 30 days; a permittee not subject to a privilege tax gets a one-year permit. Transient vendors (nonresidents) and temporary vendors (special events or infrequent sales) must add a debris-removal condition to the bond or deposit $100 with the City Recorder, plus $10 for each day of business under § 9-214. Charitable and religious fundraising needs a separate permit from the City Recorder under § 9-301.