Albany, OR Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- Secondhand dealer special license from the City of Albany
- Occasional dealer trigger
- More than 50 items or over $500.00 in one year
- Holding period
- 14 full days; 90 full days if marks are illegible
- Transaction reporting
- $20.00 or more, within three days of a purchase
- Garage sale exemption
- 72 consecutive hours, no more than three sales per 12 months
- Maximum penalty
- $2,500 fine and up to one year in jail
Summary
In the City of Albany, Oregon, Albany Municipal Code § 7.90.030 requires a secondhand dealer special license before anyone runs a secondhand dealer business. An occasional dealer must license after more than 50 items or over $500.00 of regulated property in a year. Garage, yard, and estate sales are exempt within set limits.
(1) No person or business shall engage in, conduct or carry on a secondhand dealer business in the City of Albany without a valid secondhand dealer special license issued by the City of Albany. (2) Upon acquiring or offering for sale more than 50 items or a total value of over $500.00 of regulated property during any one-year period, an occasional secondhand dealer shall apply for and obtain a secondhand dealer special license before acquiring any more items of regulated property. (3) Any person or business that advertises or otherwise holds him/her out to be acquiring or offering for sale regulated property within the City of Albany will be presumed to be operating as a dealer subject to the terms of this chapter. (4) The sale and/or purchase of regulated property at events commonly known as “garage sales,” “yard sales,” or “estate sales” and online purchases are exempt from these regulations if all of the following are present: (a) No sale exceeds a period of 72 consecutive hours; and (b) No more than three sales are held at the same location in any 12-month period.
Full Breakdown
In the City of Albany, Oregon, Chapter 7.90 regulates secondhand dealers because, in the words of § 7.90.010, these businesses present an extraordinary risk of being used by criminals to dispose of stolen property. Section 7.90.030(1) bars any person or business from carrying on a secondhand dealer business without a valid special license issued by the City. An occasional secondhand dealer, one who acquires or offers for sale not more than 50 items in a year, must apply before acquiring any more regulated property once it passes more than 50 items or a total value of over $500.00 in a one-year period. Anyone who advertises that they are acquiring or offering regulated property in Albany is presumed to be a dealer.
Garage sales, yard sales, estate sales, and online purchases are exempt only if no sale exceeds 72 consecutive hours and no more than three sales are held at the same location in any 12-month period. Section 7.90.020 also excludes businesses whose acquisitions are exclusively donated items or purchases from 501(c)(3) organizations, and scrap metal recycling businesses as defined in ORS Chapter 165.
The Chief of Police issues the license within 30 days of a complete application if no cause for denial exists, and can deny it for a conviction involving bribery, deception, dishonesty, forgery, fraud, or theft, or for a false statement in the application (§ 7.90.050). Licenses renew automatically at 12:00 a.m. on January 15th, are nontransferable, and cover one business location. Section 7.90.035 requires a fixed physical business location.
Operating rules follow. Regulated property must be held 14 full days from acquisition (90 full days when serial numbers or marks are illegible), held property must stay in its received form at the business location, and every item is tagged with a unique number (§§ 7.90.090 and 7.90.100). New transactions of $20.00 or more are reported to the Albany Police Department within three days of a purchase (§ 7.90.080). Section 7.90.120 bars receiving medications, gift cards, in-store credit cards, activated phone cards, or property with altered serial numbers. A transient merchant must file a $25,000 bond with the City Recorder (§ 7.90.045).
Violations & Fines
Section 7.90.120 punishes any violation, upon conviction, by a fine of not more than $2,500 and a jail sentence of up to one year. Under § 7.90.130 a violation is a misdemeanor unless the City requests violation treatment, which carries a civil penalty of not more than $1,000. The Chief of Police can suspend a license for up to 30 days, effective on notice, or revoke it, effective 15 days after notice unless appealed to the Albany Municipal Court (§§ 7.90.140 and 7.90.150).
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a license to resell used goods in Albany, Oregon?
Are Albany garage sales exempt from dealer licensing?
How long must an Albany dealer hold purchased items?
What can the Chief of Police do to an Albany dealer who breaks the rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Albany
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