"Anytime people make contact door to door, they need a solicitation permit," said Campbell Police Department Chief David Gullo.

The process to obtain a permit is relatively simple. The applicant files an application request with the police department, which checks that the individual belongs to a legitimate organization or business, and then the permit request goes before the city council for approval. Applicants also need to pay a processing fee.

"We don't have any more solicitors than in other cities," Gullo said.

Sometimes citizens will call the police department complaining about solicitors in the neighborhood and the police will send out an officer to check on the soliciting individual.

Gullo said sometimes they have found these solicitors don't have permits. Then the officer usually just gives the salesperson advice on the procedure for obtaining a permit.

"We haven't had a significant number of complaints," Gullo said.

The most common types of solicitors are Girl Scouts selling cookies or children involved in local school fundraisers. But these children don't necessarily have permits.

Campbell Police Department Sgt. Art Markham said that according to the "letter of the law," these children would need permits also. But the department doesn't enforce the law in these instances.

People distributing fliers or placing leaflets on doors also do not need such permits because their rights are protected under the First Amendment. If a group wants to do more than just disseminate information, such as ask for donations or sell a product, then a permit is needed.

Markham explained that solicitors usually belong to one of two categories—nonprofits and businesses.

Nonprofits such as The Church of Scientology and the United States Mission of Santa Clara have recently received permits from the Campbell City Council.

The Church of Scientology wants to disseminate information on its beliefs by selling its literature and wants to set up tables at six locations in Campbell, including The Pruneyard Shopping Center on S. Bascom Avenue and Nob Hill Foods in the Kirkwood Plaza.

The United States Mission of Santa Clara is looking for donations from residents and is permitted to solicit between the hours of 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. from May through December 2003. The organization is a nonprofit that provides shelter and job training for homeless people.

Markham is also processing permit applications for a new group that falls within the latter category, Realtors and financial advisors.

"It's pretty odd. They used to do door hangers," he said.

But Campbell resident Julian Derek Deaton of Referral Realty was just approved for a permit by the city council on May 6. Deaton's application asked permission to go door to door in Campbell to invite residents to open house events and to ask if anyone is planning to sell their home. The applicant said making personal contact with members of the community was an integral part of his business' success.

Markham has also denied permits before, though the occasions are rare. But Markham remembered a man who wanted to promote a tree-trimming service. In the process of verifying whether the man's request was legitimate the police discovered that the individual had a police record that included residential burglary. Markham was concerned the man could use the permit as a ruse to enter unoccupied homes.

Permits are also denied to individuals or groups that falsely represent an organization. But a general complaint about solicitors who have an approved permit won't prevent individuals from knocking on doors.

"Most residents ignore solicitors unless their behavior is suspicious or aggressive," Markham said.

All solicitors are required to carry a copy of the permit with them as they go door to door. Each city requires its own permit, and each permit expires after a year.

Soliciting is also a method of selling that's affected by the seasons. Warm weather invites more activity. Markham suggested that those residents who would rather not have strangers walking up their driveways and ringing their doorbells put out a "No Solicitation" sign.