What to check before you knock a new city
A checklist before a canvassing crew enters a new city: solicitation permits, hours, do-not-knock lists, HOAs, and no-soliciting signs. Local rules, not legal advice.
- Field ops
- D2D CRM
- Knock logging
People searching "is door-to-door sales legal" and "do I need a solicitation permit" need the same answer: it depends on the city, and someone has to check before the crew arrives. This page is that checklist. It is not legal advice, and it does not cite a city ordinance.
Run it before how to run a door-to-door sales team sends reps into a new market.
Questions to answer in writing
- Does this city or county require a solicitation, peddler, or canvassing permit? Who issues it, how long it lasts, and does each rep carry a copy?
- Which hours are allowed, and are Sundays or holidays called out?
- Is there a city, utility, or state do-not-knock or no-solicitation registry the crew must honor?
- Which HOAs, gated streets, and posted properties are off the map before anyone is assigned the zone?
- What is the company rule when a door has a no-soliciting sign? Write it down. Do not leave it as a judgment call on the porch.
Keep the knock record anyway
When a rep does knock, log the knock with the rep, the time, and the address. A complaint is answerable when that record exists. Territory mapping is where you leave the off-limits streets out of the assignment. The product page is the door-to-door operations workspace.
FAQ
Is door-to-door sales legal?
It depends on the city, the hours, and whether a permit or a do-not-knock list applies. Check the local rule before the crew arrives. This page is a checklist, not a legal opinion.
What should a team do about a no-soliciting sign?
Set a company rule before the route starts, and keep those doors out of the assigned turf if the rule is to skip them.