Commercial door-to-door solicitors must register with the City of Austin Police Department per Austin City Code §10-3 and carry a permit. Unincorporated Travis County has no solicitor permit requirement. Religious and political canvassing is constitutionally protected.
Austin City Code Chapter 10-3 requires peddlers, solicitors, and itinerant merchants to obtain a Solicitor Identification Card from APD Permits Unit. Application fee is approximately $60, with background check and photo. Permit must be displayed while soliciting. Permits are not required for religious, charitable, political, or non-commercial speech (First Amendment protection per Watchtower v. Stratton, 536 U.S. 150). Soliciting hours are limited to 9 AM-9 PM. Posted No Solicitors signs are enforceable under Austin §10-3-32 as criminal trespass. Unincorporated county: only state anti-fraud and criminal trespass laws apply.
Austin: Class C misdemeanor, up to $500 fine. Soliciting at a posted No Solicitors address: separate trespass charge.
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See how Travis County's solicitor permits rules stack up against other locations.
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