Is door-to-door soliciting legal in Florida?

This is new, and it is the strongest homeowner sign law in the country. A person may not engage in commercial solicitation at a dwelling that clearly and prominently displays a compliant notice. No trespass argument, no request to leave, no warning first: the knock itself is the violation.

The specification is exact, and it is doing the work. The sign must be at least 8.5 by 11 inches, visible to anyone approaching the dwelling, and carry this wording (or substantially similar) in letters at least 1 inch high: “THIS DWELLING IS DESIGNATED PRIVATE PROPERTY. NO COMMERCIAL SOLICITATION IS PERMITTED PURSUANT TO SECTION 501.062, FLORIDA STATUTES.” A small plaque, a doorbell sticker or an ordinary “No Soliciting” sign does not qualify, so print one at full size if you want this statute behind you.

A first violation is a noncriminal violation (the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services puts the fine at $500) and any violation after that is a second-degree misdemeanor. The statute reaches commercial solicitation only, which it defines as attempting to sell goods or services or to raise funds for a commercial purpose, so religious and political canvassers sit outside it and your older trespass tools still apply to them.

Florida’s Home Solicitation Sales Act covers any sale of consumer goods or services over $25 that a seller pitches and closes somewhere other than their fixed place of business - a porch sale, in other words. You can cancel until midnight of the third business day after signing, no reason required, by written notice; the seller then has 10 days to refund you.

The federal FTC Cooling-Off Rule mirrors this for most in-home sales of $25 or more. Between the two, a contract signed under pressure at your door is rarely final that day.

Florida’s trespass law says someone who enters or remains on property after notice against entering - given in person or by posting - commits trespass. A posted “No Soliciting” or “No Trespassing” sign is that notice: it negates any implied license a canvasser would otherwise have to approach.

And if a solicitor defies an order to leave you’ve personally given, that’s a first-degree misdemeanor - the more serious trespass tier. Saying “please leave” out loud is the strongest single move you have.

Beyond the sign and cancellation rules, many Florida counties require home-solicitation sellers to register with the clerk of the circuit court where they operate - with fingerprints and a criminal background check - before knocking at all. It’s county-by-county rather than one statewide permit, so what a canvasser must carry depends on where you live.

Jacksonville requires commercial door-to-door sellers to hold a solicitor permit (Ordinance Code ch. 250, part 7), and solicitors must read any posted notice and leave immediately when an occupant asks. Uniquely, a neighborhood where at least 60% of owners petition can have the whole area designated off-limits to solicitation.

A whole street opting out at once is the collective version of what a per-home registry does address by address.

Orlando requires a city permit to solicit door-to-door (City Code ch. 45). As everywhere in Florida, that sits on top of the state trespass and cancellation protections - so a permitted seller still can’t lawfully pass your posted sign or ignore a request to leave.

In the Tampa Bay area, Pinellas County runs the Florida county-registration model directly: home-solicitation sellers must register with the Clerk of the Circuit Court, submit to a background check, and carry proof. The county publishes “Knock, Knock” guidance telling residents exactly what a legitimate solicitor should be able to show.