Tampa, FL Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)

Chapter 6, Division 8 targets 'off-premises canvassing' (OPC) specifically within the Ybor City Historic District, which the city found causes pedestrian harassment, invades privacy, hurts the aesthetics of a nationally and locally designated historic district, and litters storm drains. Sec. 6-211 makes it unlawful to conduct OPC there without a permit: the person or business applies at the business tax division with their name, date of birth, the business represented, its address and phone number, a non-refundable $150 fee, and two passport-size photographs of the person who will canvass; the division issues the permit once it confirms the business holds a current business tax receipt.

Sec. 6-212 caps issuance at four permits per business per year, makes each permit valid for one specific business and non-transferable to anyone but the pictured holder, and sets a one-year term. Sec. 6-213 bans OPC entirely on Seventh Avenue, Eighth Avenue, part of Sixth Avenue between 15th and 16th Streets, and any publicly owned parking lot or garage regardless of permit status. Sec. 6-214 requires permit holders to visibly wear their permit below the neck and above the waist, forbids littering the right-of-way, and bars handing out handbills except when a pedestrian expressly asks for one.