14 New York towns, 14 quoted. Of these, 10 have permit, registration or hours rules and 4 are unclear. Each row
links its source and shows the date read.
Published October 30, 2026
KnockFiber · independent recruiting company for door-to-door fiber sales
Counts
New York towns by rule
Rule
Towns
Permit or license required
9
Registration required
1
Unclear wording: ask the clerk
4
New York state law
Read on the legislature's or official code publisher's own site.
§ 426(1): "“Door-to-door sale” shall mean a sale, lease or rental of consumer goods or services in which the seller or his representative personally solicits the sale" · § 427(1): "the buyer or other person obligated for any part of the purchase price may cancel a door-to-door sale until midnight of the third business day"
§ 32(1): "shall have the right to hawk, peddle, vend and sell goods, wares or merchandise or solicit trade upon the streets and highways within the county of his or her residence" · § 37(1) (the term "itinerant vendor" shall not include): "persons who sell by sample, catalog or brochure for future delivery, or who make sale presentations pursuant to a prior invitation issued by the owner or legal occupant"
Town by town
Binghamton
Unclear wording: ask the clerk
“No person shall solicit on private or residential property without permission from the owner or other person lawfully in possession of such property.”
A city license is required for peddlers and commercial solicitors; another chapter bars soliciting, including selling goods or services, on private property without permission. The code does not reconcile them.
“No person shall sell, peddle, hawk or vend any goods, wares or merchandise upon the streets or public places of the City, by going from house to house soliciting purchases or otherwise, without first obtaining a license”
Selling goods, wares or merchandise house to house requires a city peddler license from the permits commissioner. The clause names goods, wares and merchandise; licenses expire April 30.
County
Erie County
Section
Ch. 316 Art. I, Secs. 316-1, 316-3, 316-8; Art. II, Secs. 316-11, 316-12
Hours / signs
Sec. 316-8: licensees may not peddle on public grounds before 7:00 a.m., after 7:00 p.m. or on Sunday (food sellers excepted).
Permit
Sec. 316-1: license and badge from the Commissioner of Permit and Inspection Services; fee per Ch. 175; expires April 30 (316-12); minimum age 18.
Code version
eCode360, City of Buffalo, NY, "Includes legislation through 03-31-2026"; Sec. 316-1 amended 12-9-2003
“It shall be unlawful for any person within the corporate limits of the City to act as a vendor, hawker, peddler or solicitor, as herein defined, without having paid required fees, obtained a license …”
Solicitors going house to house need a city license. Soliciting is limited to 9 a.m.–7 p.m. unless invited, and barred where a No Solicitors sign is posted.
Sec. 538-14: no entry before 9 a.m. or after 7 p.m. unless invited; no ringing or knocking where a No Solicitors sign is displayed.
Permit
Sec. 538-3/538-6: license from the Clerk/Treasurer; fee set yearly by council resolution; expires January 1; 5,000 dollar bond if advance payment taken; nonprofits exempt (538-2).
Code version
eCode360, City of Canandaigua, NY, "Includes legislation through 03-16-2026"; Ch. 538 adopted Ord. No. 86-12 (9-25-1986)
“It shall be unlawful for any person 18 years of age or older to engage in peddling or soliciting activities within the City without first obtaining a permit issued by the Clerk/Chamberlain.”
Peddling or soliciting at residences requires a city permit; the code bars it from 8 p.m. to 9 a.m. and where a No Solicitors sign is posted.
County
Oswego County
Section
Ch. 460 Art. I Sec. 460-2; Art. II, Secs. 460-3, 460-6 to 460-9; Art. III, Secs. 460-11 to 460-14
Hours / signs
Sec. 460-11: no activity 8 p.m. to 9 a.m.; 460-13: no knocking where a No Peddlers or No Solicitors sign is posted.
Permit
Secs. 460-3 to 460-9: permit from Clerk/Chamberlain after Chief of Police and Mayor review; fee per Ch. A700; one-year term; denial on listed grounds (460-8).
Code version
eCode360, City of Fulton, NY, "Includes legislation through 07-07-2026"; Ch. 460 adopted L.L. No. 8-2001 (amended through L.L. No. 3-2025)
“No person or persons shall publicly sell, hawk or peddle any property or article of merchandise on the street or public place, or from house to house, in the City of Gloversville, without first obtaining a license …”
House-to-house peddling needs a City Clerk license. The code also keeps a Do Not Solicit list, bars calls before 10 a.m. or after sunset, and honors posted notices.
Sec. 202-14: no entry before 10 a.m. or after sunset; posted no-vendor notices honored; Clerk keeps a Do Not Solicit list.
Permit
Secs. 202-3 to 202-7: City Clerk license after police-chief investigation; 45 dollars application including background check, then fee by term; bond; expires December 31.
Code version
eCode360, City of Gloversville, NY, "Includes legislation through 04-28-2026"; Ch. 202 amended in entirety L.L. No. 4-1995 (latest noted amendment Ord. No. 4-2018)
“Every person desiring to engage in soliciting, hawking and peddling, as herein defined, from persons in residences within the village is hereby required to make written application to the board of trustees for a certificate of registration”
Soliciting at residences requires a certificate of registration from the village board. A posted No Solicitors Invited card binds solicitors; calls are barred before 8 a.m. or after sunset.
County
Orange County
Section
Ch. 14 Art. II, Secs. 14-26, 14-29, 14-30, 14-32 to 14-36, 14-38, 14-43
Hours / signs
Sec. 14-35: no calls before 8 a.m. or after sunset; Secs. 14-32 to 14-34: a posted No Solicitors Invited card must be honored.
Permit
Secs. 14-29 to 14-36: board of trustees certificate after police investigation; 100 dollar application fee; 5,000 dollar bond; expires January 1.
Code version
Municode, Code of the Village of Goshen, New York, Supp. No. 28, codified through Local Law No. 2-2025 (enacted November 24, 2025); online content updated June 16, 2026; Art. II L.L. No. 6-1995
“It shall be unlawful for any person within the corporate limits of the City of Jamestown to act as a hawker, peddler, solicitor or transient retail business as herein defined without first having obtained … a valid, current license therefor.”
Hawkers, peddlers and solicitors, including those taking orders house to house for goods or services, need a city license; house-to-house business is barred from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m.
The online code, current through 2022-09-23, sets no door-to-door soliciting rule; a general business registration chapter exists. Ask the Village of Kiryas Joel clerk.
County
Orange County
Section
Ch. 56 (business registration), Sec. 92-2(I) only; no soliciting chapter
Code version
eCode360, Village of Kiryas Joel, NY, "Includes legislation through 09-23-2022"
“it shall be unlawful for any person, association, partnership, firm, or corporation to peddle, canvass or solicit as herein defined without first having obtained and paid for … a license issued by the Lancaster Village Clerk.”
Peddling, canvassing or soliciting house to house needs a Village Clerk license. Calls are barred before 8:30 a.m. or after dusk and where a No Solicitors sign is posted.
“No licensee who is licensed by the City pursuant to this chapter shall hawk, peddle or solicit on privately owned lands unless specifically authorized by the Common Council, in its sole discretion, to do so for an event …”
A city license is required to solicit house to house, yet another section bars licensees from soliciting on privately owned lands without Council authorisation; the two are not reconciled.
Sec. 353-15(G): 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (Res. 94-26, 2026-04-07: 10 a.m.-sunset); 353-15(D): No Solicitors sign honored; Res. 92-26 adds a Do-Not-Knock Registry.
Permit
Secs. 353-2 to 353-7: license from City Clerk after police fingerprint check; 250 dollars annual, 150 semiannual; annual term ends April 30.
Code version
eCode360, City of Middletown, NY, "Includes legislation through 11-03-2025"; Ch. 353 adopted 3-14-2011; five amendments (Res. Nos. 92-26 to 96-26, adopted 2026-04-07) listed under New Laws, not yet in the code text
“Unless otherwise exempt under this chapter, all persons, including each person within an entity, desiring to engage in door-to-door solicitation within the Village, prior to doing so, shall submit a completed application to the licensing officer requesting a certificate.”
Door-to-door solicitors must register for a village certificate and badge. Hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; a No Solicitation sign and the clerk's no-solicit list bind solicitors.
“A seller engaging or planning to engage in a door-to-door sale must, during the initial contact, including telephone contact, with a prospective buyer, clearly state that the purpose of the seller's visit will be to make a sale.”
No general city license, ban, hours or sign rule for door-to-door soliciting appears in the Administrative Code; a consumer rule requires door-to-door sellers to state the purpose of the visit.
County
New York County
Section
6 RCNY Sec. 5-49 (Rules); Admin. Code Secs. 21-111, 20-387 (charitable and home-improvement solicitation only)
Code version
American Legal, New York City Administrative Code, current through Local Law 2026/160 (enacted October 24, 2026); Rules of the City of New York, current through rules effective October 16, 2026
“No person shall engage in peddling, soliciting, hawking or canvassing without first obtaining a permit or registering or both as required by this chapter.”
Peddling, soliciting, hawking or canvassing needs a city permit or registration. Hours: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. or half an hour after sunset, whichever is earlier; posted notices bind callers.
Sec. 403-5: 9 a.m. to the earlier of 8 p.m. or half an hour after sunset; 403-9: posted notices honored; leave when asked.
Permit
Secs. 403-6, 403-7: permit from the City Clerk after background check; door-to-door permits any time of year; fee list names only seasonal peddler, 1,500 dollars.
Code version
eCode360, City of Port Jervis, NY, "Includes legislation through 02-10-2025"; Ch. 403 adopted L.L. No. 13-2009 (amended through L.L. No. 4-2023)
“Every person who engages in business as a solicitor, as defined herein, is hereby required to apply for and procure a license, to be issued by the City of Rochester, for the purpose of conducting such business …”
Solicitors, including those going house to house, must hold a city license. Solicitors must identify themselves as salespeople and state their purpose when approaching a private dwelling.
Read the current code for the exact address (a mailing address can name a different town), check the
date on each row, and ask the town clerk in writing. Our permits guide shows how.
The full dataset for every state is on the national page and as a
CSV.
Not legal advice. KnockFiber is an independent recruiting company, not a law firm. This page quotes municipal codes as we read them on the date shown; codes change, and a clerk or a lawyer decides how a rule applies to you. Before you knock, read the current code and ask the town clerk, in writing. Found an error or a newer ordinance? Email recruiting@knockfiber.com and we will re-read the code and log the change.
