In many cities, yes, and each city writes its own rule. CBS Texas reported in 2019 that dozens of North Texas cities require roofers and contractors to get a solicitor permit before they canvass. The permit tends to come with set knocking hours and a ban on knocking at houses with a “No Soliciting” sign, and some cities call it a license or a registration instead.
Look up the rule in every city your reps will work, because the fee and the wait both change at the city line. If you’re still deciding whether canvassing pays at all, start with Is Door Knocking Still Worth It for Roofing Companies?
Cities can require a permit from roofers and still exempt church canvassers
In Breard v. City of Alexandria (1951), the Supreme Court upheld a ban on selling magazine subscriptions door to door without the homeowner’s prior consent. The Court wrote that “Unwanted knocks on the door by day or night are a nuisance, or worse, to peace and quiet.”
In Watchtower v. Village of Stratton (2002), the Court struck down a permit rule that also covered noncommercial canvassers. It said a rule limited to commercial activity and fund-raising would “arguably” fit residents’ concerns about privacy and fraud. Local codes follow that split. Dallas exempts charitable, political and religious solicitors and requires a permit from anyone selling, roofing reps included. When a rep points out that the church group down the street had no permit, tell him that exemption does not cover him.
Fees and expiry dates change at every city line
CBS Texas found that applications usually ask for contact information, and some cities also want vehicle and insurance details, a background check or a surety bond. Here is what eight cities around Dallas and Fort Worth ask for:
- Dallas: a $50 permit from the Dallas Police Department, required since 2014. Violations carry a fine of up to $500.
- Fort Worth: free registration that asks for ID, the vehicle’s plate and a Texas sales tax ID. Reps carry the certificate, which expires after 180 days.
- Arlington: a city license, displayed where residents can see it. Violations can bring fines of up to $500 and suspension or revocation of the license.
- Allen: in-person registration with Allen Police and an ID badge. Fees come to $90 with the background check, approval takes up to 10 working days, and the permit lasts 90 days.
- Coppell: a $50 permit with a background check, which takes up to ten working days.
- Flower Mound: a $75 yearly master permit for the company plus $20 for each rep, with a background check that can take two weeks.
- McKinney: a permit for any solicitation, good for six months, with up to 10 business days to process.
- Trophy Club: a permit and a Trophy Club ID badge, plus a No-Knock Address Registry handed to you with the permit.
For any other city, search its website for “solicitor permit” and ask four things: what it costs, whether each rep needs his own, how long approval takes and when it expires.
Apply before storm season, because approval can take two weeks
In Allen, Coppell, McKinney and Flower Mound, approval can take up to two weeks, so a crew that waits until hail hits to apply can lose its first one to two weeks of knocking there.
A DFW insurance roofer we work with estimates that about 95 to 98% of its customers come from door knocking. For a company like that, the permit rules decide where the whole sales team can work.
The shorter permits in the list can also lapse between storms. File in every city you expect to work before storm season, put each expiry date on the calendar, and make the permit part of signing on a new rep. Hiring and Paying Roofing Canvassers covers the rest of that hire.
Dallas, Fort Worth and Plano ban the knock at a No Soliciting sign
Dallas bans home solicitation at any house displaying a “NO SOLICITORS OR HANDBILLS” sign. Fort Worth bars a vendor from calling where a “No Soliciting” or “No Trespassing” sign is posted, or after being told verbally that solicitation is unwanted. In Plano it is unlawful to knock or ring to solicit where a weatherproof card at least 3 by 4 inches reads “no solicitation,” “no peddlers” or “no trespassing.”
Coppell, Arlington and Flower Mound have sign rules of their own, and Flower Mound requires a rep to leave at once when told he is unwelcome. Trophy Club hands permit holders a list of registered homes, and knocking at one that shows a sign breaks the ordinance.
A rep on r/RoofingSales said free inspections are “Kinda the way we get around ‘no soliciting’.” In Dallas, Fort Worth and Plano the rule covers the knock itself, so what the rep offers after it makes no difference.
A DFW roofer rated 4.8 on Google has four one-star reviews describing a rep at the door.
Two of them say the rep ignored a no-soliciting sign, and one of those also accuses the canvasser of knocking without the city’s permit, a complaint that now sits in the company’s public reviews.
Train reps to skip every house with a sign and to leave the moment they are asked.
Most North Texas cities allow knocking from 9 a.m. until early evening, never Sundays
CBS Texas found in 2019 that most North Texas cities allowed soliciting from 9 a.m. to 6 or 7 p.m. and banned it on Sundays and major holidays. Individual cities move the end of the day:
- Dallas: 9 a.m. to sunset, never on Sundays or listed holidays.
- Coppell: 9 a.m. to 30 minutes after sunset, never on Sundays.
- Fort Worth: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., or 8 p.m. during daylight saving time.
- Plano: half an hour after sunrise to half an hour before sunset.
- Arlington: 9 a.m. to dusk.
- Flower Mound: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. or dark, whichever comes first.
Set the team’s hours by the strictest city on the week’s route, and keep Sundays off everywhere.
A contract signed at the door comes with a three-day right to cancel
The FTC’s Cooling-Off Rule covers sales of $25 or more made at the buyer’s home. The seller must tell the buyer, out loud and in writing, that they can cancel within three business days.
Texas adds its own rule for purchases over $25 that a company solicits away from its place of business. The homeowner can cancel until midnight of the third business day, and a refund is due within ten business days of a cancellation. The contract or receipt must be dated and must carry the company’s name, its address and a cancellation notice in the language of the pitch. A rep who pitches in Spanish needs a Spanish contract, and leaving out these disclosures can void the sale.
The Texas Attorney General tells homeowners to be especially suspicious of door-to-door sellers who won’t leave a contract overnight. Put the cancellation notice in every door contract, in the language the rep pitched in, and let the homeowner keep a copy overnight.
Texas and Florida limit what a rep can say about insurance at the door
TDI lists the Texas limits. A contractor may not act as a public adjuster or advertise to adjust claims, and may not waive or rebate a deductible. Since September 2019, offering to waive one has carried up to a $2,000 fine and up to six months in jail.
Texas contracts paid by insurance at $1,000 or more must include a notice that the policyholder pays the deductible. TDI’s FAQ says a roofer may discuss damage, scope and its estimate, and may not discuss policy coverages or advocate for the homeowner.
Florida’s law counts contacting a homeowner in person as soliciting. It bars a contractor from offering a rebate, gift, deductible waiver or anything of value in exchange for a roof inspection or an insurance claim, with penalties up to $10,000 per violation. In Florida, check any “free inspection” door opener against the current statute before a rep uses it.
In any state, keep the door script to the damage and the inspection. What a Roofer Can Legally Do on an Insurance Claim, From Deductibles to Contingency Agreements covers the rest of the claim.
Checklist before your reps knock
- Look up the permit in every city on the route, file before storm season and calendar each expiry date.
- Have each rep carry the permit or badge and show it at the door.
- Skip every house with a No Soliciting sign, and leave when asked.
- Keep hours to the strictest city on the route, with Sundays off.
- Put the three-day cancellation notice in every door contract, in the language of the pitch.
- Keep deductibles and policy coverage out of the script.
Homeowners your reps never reach can still search for a roofer later, and the reviews from the door sit beside your name when they do. Pick your Google profile and a search in the free Google Maps heatmap, and in a few minutes you’ll see your rank at 49 points around your office.