Allentown, PA Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)

Section 430-3A of the Allentown Code states that "No person shall act as a secondhand dealer prior to obtaining a secondhand dealer's permit issued by the City of Allentown, or securing 'exempt' status," and requires compliance with the state's Junk and Secondhand Registration Law, 53 P.S. §§ 4431 to 4433, and the Brass and Bronze Cemetery Vase, Receptacle or Markers Secondhand Purchase Law, 53 P.S. §§ 4441 to 4445. Like the pawnbroker permit in the same chapter, the secondhand dealer permit runs annually through the Bureau of Police for a $100 fee on top of the standard Chapter 196 business license, and applicants undergo photographing, fingerprinting and a criminal history check.

Dealers who exclusively handle automobiles, firearms, clothing, books or records are automatically exempt from the permit's general requirements under § 430-3A(3)(a), and dealers of other narrow item types may apply to the Chief of Police for a case-by-case exemption based on how often those goods are reported stolen, their variety, uniqueness and dollar value; exemption requests must be filed within 15 days of the Chapter 430 invoice and are granted only one calendar year at a time. A denial can be appealed to City Council within 15 days under the Local Agency Law. Non-exempt dealers must photograph and obtain government-issued ID from every customer before buying, trading or otherwise acquiring an item, cannot transact with anyone under 18, and must hold acquired goods for at least 15 days before reselling them, mirroring the recordkeeping and police-inspection rules that apply to pawnbrokers under § 430-2.