Police remind door-to-door salesmen to get licenses

For those planning on selling goods and services door to door, the Pocatello Police Department advises you to get a license from the city when you can.

Under city code, door-to-door salesmen are required to have a license with the city. To pass the license application process, you are required to pass a background check and obtain other certifications and permits. For example, if you plan on soliciting any food or consumable products, you have to have to be certified by Southeastern Idaho Public Health, too.

Those with licenses have to display them visibly. If a prospective customer or city employee asks to see it, the licensee must present it to them.

“It’s important that we know who’s going door to door in our community and contacting our citizens,” said Dianne Brush, community services specialist with the Pocatello Police Department. “This way you at least know they’ve had a background check and that the business is at least registered with the city.”

There are a number of exemptions from the license requirement, including many fundraising activities. You can find a full list here, listed in Chapter 5.52.