Know your rights · Georgia

Is door-to-door soliciting legal in Georgia?

Short answer: yes — courts won't let cities ban knocking outright. But “legal” is doing less work than solicitors would like you to think. Georgia law makes pressure sales cancelable, cities set their own permit and hours rules, and once you say “leave,” the law is on your side. Here's the whole picture, with citations.

The quick version

Soliciting is legal but regulated — mostly by your city, not the state.
Anything you signed at your door can usually be canceled within 3 business days (state and/or federal law).
A solicitor who stays after you say “leave” is trespassing — anywhere in Georgia.
What a posted sign means varies by city: notice-based — under § 16-7-21 entering after posted notice that entry is forbidden, or staying after you say “depart,” is criminal trespass; metro-Atlanta counties also require permits and honor No Solicitation signs.

What Georgia state law gives you

O.C.G.A. § 10-1-6

Three business days to cancel a doorstep sale

Georgia’s Home Solicitation Sales law lets you cancel a sale of goods or services for personal or household use — pitched and signed somewhere other than the seller’s regular place of business — until midnight of the third business day. Any clear written notice of cancellation works; the seller then has ten days to refund your deposit.

The federal FTC Cooling-Off Rule adds the same three-day protection for most in-home sales over $25. The Georgia Attorney General publishes this right specifically for door-to-door sales.

O.C.G.A. § 16-7-21

Trespass turns on notice — posted or spoken

Georgia criminal trespass covers entering property after notice that entry is forbidden, or remaining after being told to depart by the owner or occupant. A posted “No Trespassing” sign supplies the forbidden-entry notice, and telling a canvasser to leave covers the rest.

So the cleanest move at a Georgia door is direct: “I want you to leave now.” A solicitor who stays after that has crossed from a sales call into criminal trespass.

County & city ordinances

No statewide permit — metro counties regulate hard

Georgia sets solicitor rules locally, and the metro-Atlanta counties where most suburban door-knocking happens regulate it closely — permits, background checks, badges, and enforceable no-soliciting signs. Two of the three below are counties, because in Georgia your subdivision is often governed by county code, not a city.

Your city sets the door-knocking rules

Georgia's largest cities regulate solicitors in different ways — a good preview of how much this varies town to town. If yours isn't here, search “[your city] solicitor permit.”

Occupation tax certificate + sales permit

Gwinnett County

In unincorporated Gwinnett County (metro Atlanta), anyone going door-to-door without an invitation must file an application and obtain an occupation tax certificate and county sales permit, and carry it while soliciting (Code of Ordinances ch. 18, art. IX). IRS-exempt nonprofits can canvass without the permit but still must register with the county.

Permit + badge; no revisits for 6 months

Hall County

Hall County (Gainesville area) runs one of the most homeowner-friendly regimes in the state: solicitors pass a background check, wear a county-issued badge, must respect every “No Solicitation” sign, must leave when asked — and may not revisit your home within a six-month period. Permits run just two weeks and renew only once a year.

A rule that a solicitor can’t come back for six months is a per-home “do not knock” — exactly what a registry makes permanent and portable.

Transient merchant / solicitor license

Savannah

Savannah licenses door-to-door sellers as transient merchants (City Code, Transient Merchants, Peddlers, Solicitors), with a tiered fee schedule; charitable and religious canvassers can get a no-fee permit. As statewide, the license sits on top of the trespass and cancellation protections rather than replacing them.

What a “No Soliciting” sign does — and where it falls short

Post one. Where the local code gives it legal force it turns some canvassers away, and everywhere it establishes that a knock wasn't welcome. But the patchwork above exposes the sign's two structural weaknesses: the rules protecting you differ block by block, and a sign creates no record of who ignored it. Enforcement is almost always complaint-driven — and a complaint is only as strong as your ability to say who knocked, and when.

Where NoKnock fits

Make the sign checkable — and the ignoring of it a record

A do-not-knock list a company can actually be held to is the stronger model. NoKnock is that idea for any address in the country — you register free, put a QR decal at your door, and canvassing organizations that subscribe get a “Do Not Knock” answer for your home before anyone walks up. If someone knocks anyway, logging it takes seconds, so the fourth violation reads as a pattern, not four bad afternoons.

Honest caveat: the registry is young, and not every canvasser checks it yet. The decal works on day one regardless — and it's the only option on this page that turns an ignored “no” into a timestamped record.

Religious and political canvassers play by different rules

In Watchtower v. Village of Stratton (2002), the U.S. Supreme Court held that a town can't require a permit for religious, political, or other noncommercial door-to-door canvassing. That's why city permit schemes carve those groups out, and why a “permit, please” challenge only works on commercial sellers.

What survives for noncommercial visitors: the trespass baseline (they must leave when asked) and, in some cities, posted-sign rules that apply to everyone. If you want maximum legal coverage from a sign alone, “No Trespassing” generally sweeps broader than “No Soliciting.”

Common questions

Is door-to-door soliciting legal in Georgia?

Yes, but it is regulated locally, and metro-Atlanta counties regulate it closely. Gwinnett and Hall counties, for example, require a permit and background check, mandate a visible badge, and enforce No Solicitation signs — Hall County even bars a solicitor from revisiting your home for six months. State law also lets you cancel most doorstep sales within three business days.

Is ignoring a No Soliciting sign illegal in Georgia?

It can be. Under O.C.G.A. § 16-7-21, entering after posted notice that entry is forbidden, or remaining after the occupant tells you to depart, is criminal trespass — so a "No Trespassing" sign or a spoken request to leave gives you a clear basis. Many Georgia counties and cities also require solicitors to honor "No Solicitation" signs as a condition of their permit.

Can I cancel a contract signed with a door-to-door salesperson in Georgia?

Usually yes. O.C.G.A. § 10-1-6 gives you until midnight of the third business day after signing to cancel a home solicitation sale for personal or household goods or services; the seller must refund your deposit within ten days. The federal FTC Cooling-Off Rule provides the same three-day right for most in-home sales over $25.

Do door-to-door solicitors need a permit in Georgia?

In most places, yes — set by your county or city. In metro Atlanta, Gwinnett County requires an occupation tax certificate and sales permit, and Hall County requires a permit, background check, and badge. A legitimate solicitor should be able to show a current permit if you ask; nonprofits are often exempt but still must register.

Sources

This page is general information, not legal advice, and state statutes and city ordinances change — always verify against the current code before relying on a specific provision. Last reviewed July 2026.

The law backs you up. Make it easy to invoke.

Register your address, put the decal by the door, and every rule on this page gets a record to point at. Free, under a minute.

Want the practical playbook too? How to stop door-to-door salesmen