# It is not illegal to sell door to door No. It is not illegal to sell door to door as a general federal matter. Knockdesk is field sales software for teams that sell in person. Is door to door sales legal? Yes, then a city may still require a solicitor permit or a peddler license, set hours, and honor no-soliciting signs. This page is general information, not legal advice. The table is the opinion and the city sources, not a ruling for one crew. ## Advocacy is not the same as a commercial sale Watchtower Bible and Tract Society v. Village of Stratton struck an ordinance that made it a misdemeanor to go on private residential property to promote any cause without a mayor's permit. The holding covers religious proselytizing, anonymous political speech, and handbills. The Court wrote that if the ordinance had been limited to commercial activities and the solicitation of funds, it might have been tailored to the village's interest in privacy and fraud. A commercial crew should not read that opinion as a free pass past the city clerk. **What was struck.** A permit required before door-to-door advocacy of any cause, including religious and political visits and handbills. **What the Court left open.** A rule aimed at commercial sales and the solicitation of funds. Cities still write those rules. **Signs the opinion noted.** Residents could post no-solicitation signs, and they could refuse a conversation. That privacy tool stayed in the picture. ## Can you sell door to door without a permit Can you sell door to door without a permit is a city question. Denver's Peddler page requires a peddler license for selling door to door. Salt Lake City requires a solicitors license under ordinance 5.64. A city can also write hours and sign rules that apply after the badge prints. Those local bans are not a national ban on the work. They are the clerk and the ordinance for that territory. | Local rule | What that page or ordinance says | | --- | --- | | Denver peddler license | Required for itinerant or transient sale of goods, merchandise, or services, including selling door to door. | | Denver hours | Door-to-door sales at residences unlawful from one-half hour after sunset until 8:00 a.m. the next day. | | Denver signs and leave | Leave immediately when told. Do not solicit where a visible sign prohibits it, unless permission was already given. | | Salt Lake City solicitors license | Ordinance 5.64. Apply for a business license or work under a current one. Upload a BCI report. | ## Legal on paper still has to hit the pin The opinion and the clerk page answer whether the knock is allowed. They do not write the visit. When the ordinance sits in a tab and the knock sits in a chat, the manager cannot see which porch was logged or which house asked to be left alone. Knockdesk keeps the knock on the turf and can mark a do-not-contact pin. 418 Oak Ave and 22 Harbor Rd on North turf are a sample log, not a customer day. Full desk is on the pricing page. A free trial is not open. ## Open the state, then the city State pages add that state's statutes. They do not replace the city permit or the local hours. This page does not target one state's primary. - [Texas](/laws/door-to-door-sales/texas): Door to door sales laws in Texas. - [Arizona](/laws/door-to-door-sales/arizona): Door to door sales laws in Arizona. - [Utah](/laws/door-to-door-sales/utah): Door to door sales laws in Utah. - [Colorado](/laws/door-to-door-sales/colorado): Door to door sales laws in Colorado. - [Georgia](/laws/door-to-door-sales/georgia): Door to door sales laws in Georgia. - [Florida](/laws/door-to-door-sales/florida): Door to door sales laws in Florida. - [California](/laws/door-to-door-sales/california): Door to door sales laws in California. - [North Carolina](/laws/door-to-door-sales/north-carolina): Door to door sales laws in North Carolina. - [Tennessee](/laws/door-to-door-sales/tennessee): Door to door sales laws in Tennessee. - [Ohio](/laws/door-to-door-sales/ohio): Door to door sales laws in Ohio. ## Open the opinion and the clerk These are the pages the table cites. Knockdesk is not counsel. - [Watchtower Bible and Tract Society v. Village of Stratton](https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/536/150): The holding on a permit required before promoting any cause. - [Denver Peddler (non-food)](https://denvergov.org/Government/Agencies-Departments-Offices/Agencies-Departments-Offices-Directory/Business-Licensing/Business-licenses/Peddler): The city peddler license for selling door to door. - [Denver Revised Municipal Code Chapter 47](https://library.municode.com/co/denver/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TITIIREMUCO_CH47SOPECA): Hours, signs, and the duty to leave. - [Salt Lake City solicitors license](https://www.slc.gov/Finance/business-licensing/applications-and-linksnew/): Ordinance 5.64 and the BCI report. - [Buyer's Remorse: The FTC's Cooling-Off Rule May Help](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/buyers-remorse-ftcs-cooling-rule-may-help): The cancel window after a covered home sale, not a ban on the knock. ## Keep going from the legality answer - [Door to door sales laws](/laws): The hub for permits, consent, cooling-off, and this legality page. - [Solicitor permits](/laws/solicitor-permits): City licenses, and why there is no one national permit. - [Recording consent by state](/laws/recording-consent-by-state): In-person consent after the knock is allowed. - [FTC cooling off rule](/laws/ftc-cooling-off-rule): The three-day cancel window, which is not a ban. - [Knockdesk pricing](/pricing): Full desk is on the pricing page. - [Canvass](/canvass): The knock that still has to land on the pin. - [Do-not-contact pins](/help/do-not-contact-pins): How a house that asked to be left alone stays off the list. ## FAQ ### Is it illegal to sell door to door? No. There is no federal ban on the commercial knock. Cities may still require a permit, set hours, and honor no-soliciting signs. This page is general information, not legal advice. ### Is door to door sales legal? Yes as a general matter. Watchtower v. Village of Stratton protects religious advocacy, anonymous political speech, and handbills from a permit-for-any-cause rule. Commercial sales can still be licensed. ### Can you sell door to door without a permit? Sometimes, when the city does not require one for that activity. Denver requires a peddler license for selling door to door. Salt Lake City requires a solicitors license. Open the clerk for the territory you will cut. ### Does a local hours rule make the work illegal everywhere? No. Denver Chapter 47 bans residential door-to-door sales from one-half hour after sunset until 8:00 a.m. That is a local hours rule, not a national ban. ### Does the FTC cooling-off rule ban the knock? No. The FTC page describes a three-business-day cancel right on certain covered sales. It does not make door-to-door selling illegal. ### How much does Knockdesk cost? Full desk is on the pricing page. A free trial is not open. Knockdesk logs the visit. It does not replace counsel.