14 Virginia towns, 14 quoted. Of these, 11 have permit, registration or hours rules and 3 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
Virginia towns by rule
Rule
Towns
Permit or license required
9
Registration required
1
Hours or sign rules
1
Unclear wording: ask the clerk
3
Virginia state law
Read on the legislature's or official code publisher's own site.
§ 59.1-21.2(A): "“home solicitation sale” means: 1. A consumer sale or lease of goods or services in which the seller or a person acting for him engages (i) in a personal solicitation" · § 59.1-21.3(1): "the buyer has the right to cancel a home solicitation sale until midnight of the third business day after the day on which the buyer signs an agreement"
§ 58.1-3717(A): "any person who shall carry from place to place any goods, wares or merchandise and offer to sell or barter the same" (shall be deemed to be a peddler)
Town by town
Abingdon
Permit or license required
“It shall be unlawful for any person to engage in the business of peddler, vendor, solicitor, as defined in this article, within the limits of the Town of Abingdon, Virginia, without first obtaining a permit as provided herein.”
Door-to-door solicitors, defined to include orders for services, need a town permit of up to 30 days; No Soliciting signs, side and rear yards, and holidays are restricted.
County
Washington County
Section
Ch. 18 Art. VI, Sec. 18-130, 18-131, 18-132, 18-134, 18-143.1
Hours / signs
Sec. 18-143.1: no entering where a No Soliciting sign is displayed; no side or rear yards without invitation; no operating on state or federal holidays.
Permit
Permit from Town Manager; apply 30 days ahead; fee set by Council; permits not issued for more than 30 days (Sec. 18-133, 18-134).
Code version
eCode360 AB4257, includes legislation through 01-05-2026 (Art. VI amended by Ord. No. 2026.01.06)
“there is no definite place of business but such person operates amusement machines, is engaged as a peddler or itinerant merchant, carnival or circus as specified in Code of Virginia, §§ 58.1-3717, 3718 or 3728, respectively”
The online code sets no door-to-door soliciting rule. Peddlers and itinerant merchants appear only as a business-license tax category; entering a dwelling uninvited is an offense (Sec. 62-7).
County
Independent city County
Section
Ch. 18 Art. II Sec. 18-28 and Ch. 18 Appendix Sec. 1(8); Ch. 62 Sec. 62-7
Permit
Ch. 18 App. Sec. 1(8): business license tax category for itinerant merchants or peddlers, 500 dollars per year or 50 dollars per day; no soliciting-permit procedure found.
Code version
Municode, Code of the City of Bristol, Virginia, version Oct 20, 2026 (current)
“to offer for sale any item, including but not limited to services … when such person goes from one place of human habitation to another … unless such person has first obtained a permit issued by the police department.”
Door-to-door sellers of goods or services need a police department permit and photo ID card, valid twelve months; sales and solicitations are limited to 8 a.m. until sunset.
County
Independent city County
Section
Ch. 58 Art. I, Sec. 58-2(a)-(i) (Door-to-door vendors); Ch. 18 Sec. 18-132
Hours / signs
Sec. 58-2(e): sales and solicitations limited to the hours of 8:00 a.m. to sunset. No sign-force clause found.
Permit
Sec. 58-2(b)-(g): separate police department permit per person, 20 dollar fee, criminal-history check and two references, 12 months, photo ID card; bond if advance payment; felony or fraud convictions bar.
Code version
Municode, Chesapeake City Code, version Oct 2, 2026 (current); Sec. 58-2 last amended Ord. No. 24-O-060 (6-11-24)
“It shall be unlawful for any person to act as a solicitor without first securing a solicitor's permit from the chief of police or his designated subordinate.”
Solicitors going house to house need a police chief permit valid sixty days; permit holders may not enter posted premises, and soliciting after being asked to stop is unlawful.
Sec. 10-372(5): permit holder may not enter premises posted against such activity; Sec. 32-16(b)(4): no soliciting sale of goods or services on private property after being asked not to or where a sign says solicitations are not welcome.
Permit
Secs. 10-364 to 10-370: solicitor's permit from chief of police; photos, fingerprints, ID, fee set by city; good for 60 days, renewable; may be refused for moral-turpitude convictions.
Code version
Municode, Covington (VA) Code of Ordinances, version May 12, 2026 (current)
“All persons, before entering residential premises within the County for the purpose of soliciting or peddling, shall register with the Chief of Police and furnish the Chief with the following information”
Unincorporated; Albemarle County code applies. Door-to-door solicitors and peddlers register with the Chief of Police for a one-year permit; entering premises displaying a No Soliciting sign is prohibited.
Sec. 12-305(C): no entering residential premises for soliciting or peddling where a "No Soliciting" sign is displayed; Sec. 12-305(B): no remaining after being asked to leave. No hours rule.
Permit
Secs. 12-302 to 12-304: register with Chief of Police; permit issued unless listed disqualifiers apply; needs county business license; valid one year; fee 10.00 as printed on the host.
Code version
Municode, Albemarle County Code of Ordinances, version Aug 28, 2026 (current); Art. 3 as amended by Ord. 22-12(1) (3-16-22)
“to offer any item for sale … when such person goes from one place of human habitation to another … unless such person has registered his name, address and by whom employed with the sheriff of the county”
Unincorporated; Augusta County code applies. Anyone going from one place of human habitation to another offering an item for sale must register name, address and employer with the sheriff.
Sec. 6-2: register name, address and employer with the sheriff; no fee, term or approval step stated. Ch. 12 Secs. 12-61 and 12-62 set license-tax rates for peddlers and itinerant merchants.
Code version
Augusta County Code, Ch. 6 (county site PDF, dated June 30, 2008 as printed); Ch. 12 dated January 2022; Ch. 7 and Ch. 15 (June 2020) also read
“Door-to-door sales of goods or services, and similar activities that do not interfere with or have a tendency to interfere with the free passage of pedestrians and vehicles on the public rights-of-way”
Unincorporated; Bedford County code applies. The county code sets no door-to-door soliciting rule; its public-assembly permit section exempts door-to-door sales and canvassing that do not obstruct public ways.
County
Bedford County
Section
Ch. 1 Art. III, Sec. 1-49(d)(3)-(4) (public assembly permit exemptions); Sec. 1-47; Div. 2 Secs. 1-51 et seq. (begging and panhandling)
Code version
Code of the County of Bedford, Virginia, county-site PDF (266 pages), Supplement No. 31; Sec. 1-49 per Ord. No. O062424-11 (06-24-2024); county states its Municode copy stopped updating April 17, 2024
“It shall be unlawful for any person to act as a solicitor, without first securing a solicitor's permit from the director of public safety so to do.”
Solicitors who take payment before final delivery need a thirty-day director of public safety permit; permit holders may not enter premises posted against such activity.
County
Independent city County
Section
Ch. 31 Art. II (Nonresident commercial solicitors), Secs. 31-16, 31-17, 31-22, 31-36 to 31-46
Hours / signs
Sec. 31-22: permit holder may not enter premises posted with a sign forbidding or not desiring such activity, without prior consent of the owner or occupant. No hours rule.
Permit
Secs. 31-36 to 31-46: director of public safety; fingerprints and photo; 20 dollar fee; thirty days, renewable for 4.50 dollars; Sec. 31-17 limits the article to solicitors taking payment in advance of final delivery.
Code version
Municode, Hampton City Code, version Oct 22, 2026 (current)
“It shall be unlawful for any person to engage in business as a peddler within this city without first obtaining a permit to do so.”
Peddlers, defined to include canvassers and solicitors taking orders house to house, need a police chief permit; no calls after sunset or on Sundays without invitation; posted signs bind.
Sec. 29-6: no peddling from one-half hour before sunset to 9:00 a.m., or Sundays, except by appointment or invitation; Sec. 29-3: no entering premises posted No Peddlers or No Solicitations Allowed; Sec. 29-4: leave when told.
Permit
Secs. 29-19 to 29-33: chief of police permit after character investigation; 15 dollar fee; fingerprints; bond 1,000 dollars for non-residents; up to 12 months.
Code version
Municode, Lynchburg City Code, version Jul 25, 2025 (current)
“there is no definite place of business but such person operates amusement machines, is engaged as a peddler or itinerant merchant, carnival or circus as specified in sections 58.1-3717, 58.1-3713 or 58.1-3728, respectively, of the Code of Virginia, 1950”
The online code sets no door-to-door soliciting rule. Peddlers and itinerant merchants appear only in the business-license tax article; Chapter 40 Article I (general solicitation rules) is reserved.
County
Independent city County
Section
Ch. 24 Art. II-A Sec. 24-25.3(a); Ch. 40 Art. I (reserved); Ch. 29 Sec. 29-48
Code version
Municode, Norfolk City Code, version Jul 16, 2026 (current)
“Every person peddling goods, wares, merchandise or products of any description or who sells any items door-to-door, shall pay a license tax …”
Peddlers and door-to-door sellers pay an annual city license tax. Chapter 26 covers only produce peddlers and charitable solicitation; no separate soliciting permit, hours or sign rule found.
County
Independent city County
Section
Ch. 20 Art. II Sec. 20-23(a)-(c); Ch. 26 Art. I (reserved), Art. II, Art. III
Permit
Sec. 20-23(a): business license tax of 500 dollars per year on peddlers and door-to-door sellers (Ch. 20); no application, ID card, hours or sign procedure found.
Code version
Municode, Portsmouth City Code, version Sep 22, 2026 (current)
“No person offering any item or service for sale … goes from one (1) place of human habitation to another without a prior appointment … shall do so between the hours of 9:00 p.m. … and 8:00 a.m.”
Door-to-door offers of items or services without a prior appointment are barred from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m.; peddlers carrying goods also pay a city license tax.
County
Independent city County
Section
Ch. 21 Art. I Sec. 21-31 (Evening door-to-door sales); Ch. 19 Art. III Sec. 19-81.1 (Itinerant merchants and peddlers); Ch. 28 (Solicitations)
Hours / signs
Sec. 21-31: no door-to-door offers of items or services without a prior appointment between 9:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. (class 4 misdemeanor); newspapers, fresh farm products and insurance sellers excepted.
Permit
Sec. 19-81.1(b), (e), (f): peddlers (persons carrying goods from place to place) pay a city license tax of 50 dollars per year and display the license; no soliciting-permit procedure found.
Code version
Municode, Roanoke City Code, version Oct 8, 2026 (current); Sec. 21-31 added by Ord. No. 42228 (12-6-21)
“to engage in soliciting, selling or taking orders for goods … or any service or commodity whatsoever upon the premises of any private residence … unless he has a current permit so to do from the Police Department”
Uninvited soliciting or order-taking for goods or services at residences needs a police permit and ID card, expiring December 31; soliciting at a residence posted No Solicitation is a misdemeanor.
County
Independent city County
Section
Ch. 26 Art. II, Secs. 26-16, 26-26, 26-27, 26-32 to 26-36, 26-37, 26-39
Hours / signs
Sec. 26-26(c): soliciting with a valid permit at a residence displaying a No Solicitation or similar sign is a class 3 misdemeanor (first offense). No hours rule found.
Permit
Secs. 26-26 to 26-36: Police Department permit, 20 dollar fee, record check, ID card 5 dollars each, expires Dec. 31, 12 months at most; appeal to City Manager within 15 days.
Code version
Municode, Code of the City of Virginia Beach, Supp. No. 170, codified through Ord. No. 3872 (adopted 2026-09-01), version Oct 23, 2026 (current); Art. II per Ord. No. 3480 (12-13-16)
“Any person who shall carry from place to place any goods, wares or merchandise, and offer to sell or barter the same … shall be deemed to be a peddler and shall obtain a license therefor.”
Anyone carrying goods from place to place and offering them for sale is a peddler and must obtain a city license; Section 22-94 sets the tax. Services are not named.
County
Independent city County
Section
Ch. 22 Art. II Div. 3, Sec. 22-94(a)-(n) (Peddlers); Ch. 70 Sec. 70-123
Permit
Sec. 22-94(b), (f)-(m): peddler license; license tax 250 dollars per year for a person on foot, 500 dollars otherwise; wholesale, farm-produce and charitable exemptions; no ID or hours procedure found.
Code version
Municode, Waynesboro City Code, version Jul 23, 2026 (current)
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.
