CHARITABLE SOLICITATION (10-8-080 et seq.)

Municipal Code of Chicago tit. 10, ch. 10-8, art. II

in effect

Municipal Code of Chicago § 10-8-080 Permit required.

10-8-080 Permit required. No person shall solicit or collect contributions of funds for charitable purposes upon any portion of the public way without first having obtained a permit for such purpose from the committee on finance. (Prior code § 36-8; Added Coun. J. 12-18-84, p. 12004)

Municipal Code of Chicago § 10-8-090 Permit - Issuance requirements.

10-8-090 Permit - Issuance requirements. No permit for solicitation of charitable contributions on the public way shall be issued to any person unless such person is either (a) a benevolent, philanthropic, patriotic or eleemosynary organization registered and in good standing with the Attorney General of the State of Illinois under "An Act to regulate solicitation and collection of funds for charitable purposes, providing for violations thereof, and making appropriations therefor", effective July 26, 1963, as amended; or (b) an organization exempt from compliance with said Act pursuant to section 3 thereof, as amended. (Prior code § 36-9; Added Coun. J. 12-18-84, p. 12004)

Municipal Code of Chicago § 10-8-100 Application.

10-8-100 Application. Application for a charitable solicitation permit shall be made on a form issued by committee on finance. The application shall include the name, address and telephone number of the soliciting organization; proof of registration and good standing, or proof of initial registration and exemption as described in Section 10-8-090(b) of this Code, issued by the Attorney General of the State of Illinois; the names, residence addresses and telephone numbers of the officers of the organization; the dates and locations of the solicitation; the approximate number of persons engaging in the solicitation; a description or facsimile of the tag, badge, emblem or other token (if any) which will be distributed as part of the solicitation; an application fee of ten dollars ($10) for each day of solicitation requested; and such other information as the committee on finance may require. The application fee charged by this section shall not be waived by any action of the City Council including by order or ordinance. Application for a charitable solicitation permit shall be made no less than 30 days before the commencement of the solicitation. The application shall be signed and verified by at least one officer of the organization. (Prior code § 36-10; Added Coun. J. 12-18-84, p. 12004; Amend Coun. J. 11-17-10, p. 107315, § 2)

Municipal Code of Chicago § 10-8-110 Application - Committee action.

10-8-110 Application - Committee action. The committee on finance shall review each application for a charitable solicitation permit at the first meeting following filing of the application. The committee may continue the hearing on an application if additional proceedings are necessary to determine the applicant's compliance with the requirements of this chapter. If all requirements have not been met, the committee shall deny the application and shall notify the applicant of its decision and the grounds therefor. Notice of the denial shall be sent by mail, addressed to the applicant at the address stated in the application. All decisions of the committee shall be reported to the city council at the next regular meeting thereof. (Prior code § 36-11; Added Coun. J. 12-18-84, p. 12004)

Municipal Code of Chicago § 10-8-120 Date and location conflicts - Preference given when.

10-8-120 Date and location conflicts - Preference given when. If more than one organization applies for a permit to solicit charitable contributions on the same date and at the same location, the committee on finance shall resolve the conflict. Preference shall be given to organizations whose fundraising activities are well recognized, so as to promote the efficiency and coordination of such activities. Any organization which has engaged in solicitation of charitable contributions on the public way in the same manner and at the same approximate time of year for five consecutive years shall be permitted to select its dates one year in advance of actual solicitation. The committee may offer alternate dates and/or sites as a means of resolving conflicts. (Prior code § 36-12; Added Coun. J. 12-18-84, p. 12004)

Municipal Code of Chicago § 10-8-130 Permit legend.

10-8-130 Permit legend. A charitable solicitation permit shall bear the legend "City of Chicago Charitable Solicitation Permit" and shall state the name of the organization to which it is issued and the dates and places of the permitted solicitation. Each permit shall be sequentially numbered to indicate the year of its issuance and the number of permits then outstanding. Each permit shall be signed by the chairman of the committee on finance. (Prior code § 36-13; Added Coun. J. 12-18-84, p. 12004)

Municipal Code of Chicago § 10-8-140 Display of information.

10-8-140 Display of information. Each person who engages in the solicitation of charitable contributions on the public way shall display on his person a tag or card no smaller than two inches by four inches, indicating the name of his organization to which the permit is issued, the facsimile of the permit may be used instead of the tag or card. Each charitable organization must supply those persons soliciting on their behalf with reflective vests, to be worn at all times while soliciting on city streets. (Prior code § 36-14; Added Coun. J. 12-18-84, p. 12004; Amend Coun. J. 10-1-97, p. 53406, § 1; Amend Coun. J. 11-17-10, p. 107315, § 3)

Municipal Code of Chicago § 10-8-150 Statement to be filed.

10-8-150 Statement to be filed. Each organization which receives a charitable solicitation permit pursuant to chapter shall, within 60 days after the completion of the activities conducted under the permit, file with the committee on finance a statement of all receipts and disbursements from such activities. (Prior code § 36-15; Added Coun. J. 12-18-84, p. 12004)

Municipal Code of Chicago § 10-8-160 Committee on finance - Rule adoption.

10-8-160 Committee on finance - Rule adoption. The committee on finance may adopt rules and regulations consistent with the provisions of this chapter governing the solicitation of charitable contributions on the public way. The rules and regulations that have been adopted by the committee on finance are as follows: 1) The charitable organization must be registered with the Charitable Trust Division of the Illinois Attorney General's office as a not-for-profit corporation. 2) Prior to issuance of the permit the charitable organization must sign an agreement whereby the organization agrees to indemnify and hold harmless, the city, its officers, employees and agents from any and all claims, suits or damages arising from their use of the public way to solicit funds. 3) Persons under the age of sixteen shall be prohibited from soliciting on city streets. 4) Soliciting on city streets will be allowed only at intersections where vehicles must come to a complete stop and only when those vehicles have come to a complete stop. (Prior code § 36-16; Added Coun. J. 12-18-84, p. 12004; Amend Coun. J. 10-1-97, p. 53406, § 2; Amend Coun. J. 4-29-98, p. 66275)

Municipal Code of Chicago § 10-8-165 Enforcement.

10-8-165 Enforcement. The Chairman of the Committee on Finance shall appoint and approve any individual(s) who will be charged with the supplementary enforcement of Article II of Chapter 10-8 alongside the Chicago Police Department. The appointed individuals shall serve for a term of two (2) years, expiring on the final Friday of December. As the term of any member expires, his successor shall be appointed by the Chairman of the Committee on Finance for a term of two (2) years. Any vacancy in the office of an appointed individual shall be filled by the Chairman of the Committee on Finance for the unexpired term. The appointed individuals shall wear a suitable badge to be furnished by the Committee on Finance identifying the aforementioned individuals as Special Inspectors of the Committee on Finance. All individuals shall serve without compensation. (Added Coun. J. 11-17-10, p. 107315, § 4)

Municipal Code of Chicago § 10-8-170 Violation - Penalty - Corporation counsel to institute action.

10-8-170 Violation - Penalty - Corporation counsel to institute action. Any person who violates any provision of this chapter relating to solicitation of charitable contributions on the public way shall be fined $1,000.00. Each day that a violation is committed shall be considered a separate and distinct offense. Any charitable organization that violates any provision of this chapter relating to solicitation of charitable contributions on the public way shall have their privileges suspended for a period of one year. Any charitable organization that violates any provision of this chapter a second time shall have their privileges suspended for a second year. Any charitable organization that violates any provision of this chapter a third time shall be prohibited from soliciting charitable contributions on the public way. Any charitable organization that has any fines or fees outstanding as a result of any provision of this chapter shall have all fee waivers temporarily placed on hold until the aforementioned fines or fees are resolved. The corporation counsel, upon learning of violations of the provisions of this chapter relating to solicitation of charitable contributions of the public way, may institute an action in the appropriate court to seek an injunction against such violation in addition to the fines authorized by this section. (Prior code § 36-17; Added Coun. J. 12-18-84, p. 12004; 1-23-85, p. 12746; Amend Coun. J. 10-1-97, p. 53406, § 3; Amend Coun. J. 11-17-10, p. 107315, § 5)

Source: City of Chicago, Municipal Code of Chicago (American Legal Publishing, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/chicago/latest/chicago_il/0-0-0-2650090Fetched: 10/24/2026