Sterling Heights, MI Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)

" Section 39-3 makes the license mandatory before engaging in the business, issued annually by the City Clerk and expiring December 31. Section 39-4 requires the applicant's name, resident address, driver's license number, physical description, the parent organization's identity, the sales method (door-to-door, street corner, sidewalk), proposed dates and hours, goods sold, prior injunctions, felony or moral-turpitude convictions, and a 2x2-inch photo taken within the prior 60 days. Under Section 39-5, the Clerk must issue the license once satisfied the applicant has no disqualifying convictions, has paid the fee set by the annual appropriations ordinance, and has no history of violations; a licensee who believes the fee burdens interstate commerce may apply within 90 days for an adjustment.

Licenses are nontransferable, must be displayed while soliciting, and a denial can be appealed in writing to the City Council, which makes the final call. Section 39-6 bars merchants from blocking sidewalks or traffic, touching or accosting the public without permission, shouting, using horns or bells, misrepresenting the goods or their affiliation, or setting up a fixed stand; a vehicle that stops to sell must park within 12 inches of the curb and leave once the sale is done. Door-to-door solicitation is barred outright wherever a "No Solicitors" or "No Trespassing" sign is posted, except for invited guests, and a merchant told to leave private property must go. Section 39-7 exempts newspaper delivery, merchants already licensed under the Code, and anyone exempt by law from local regulation.