Amarillo, TX Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- Who must comply
- Secondhand dealers with state sales tax permit
- Record required
- Daily entry per item, plus seller ID
- Seller ID needed
- Driver's license or SSN number
- Alteration ban
- Cannot alter/obliterate record entries
- Police access
- Books open at any reasonable time
- Max fine
- $500 per offense (Sec. 1-1-5)
Summary
Any Amarillo secondhand dealer holding a state sales tax permit must keep a daily record book naming each item received and the seller's identifying details, open to police inspection at any reasonable time, with alterations to the book banned outright.
(a)Any person who deals in secondhand goods, wares or merchandise within the City, and who is required to obtain a sales tax permit from the Comptroller of Public Accounts of the State, shall keep a record book in which he shall make accurate daily entries of any and all secondhand articles received by him in the course of his business... The record books required to be kept by this chapter shall be accessible at any and all reasonable times to the Police Department of the City.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 81).
Full Breakdown
' The city will furnish a record book through the Police Department for a cost and handling fee, or a dealer may use its own book if the Chief of Police approves it for compatibility with police recordkeeping under Section 14-7-1(b). Section 14-7-2 specifies required contents: a description of each article, the seller's name, address, date of birth, sex, race, nationality, approximate height and weight, and a driver's license or Social Security identification number, plus the disposition of the item, including buyer and sale price unless held 30+ days or sold under $10.
' A separate Article II, Sections 14-7-15 through 14-7-21, imposes parallel rules on crafted precious metals dealers: a 48-hour purchase report to the Chief of Police, a bar on buying from anyone under 18 without written parental consent, a 20-day hold before melting or altering purchased items, and mandatory registration for dealers operating from temporary locations lasting under 90 days.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 14-7 does not print a standalone penalty section, so violations, including failure to keep required records, altering entries under Section 14-7-3, or denying police access under Section 14-7-4, are punished under the citywide general penalty in Section 1-1-5(a): a fine up to $500 per offense, with each day a violation continues charged as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
What must an Amarillo secondhand dealer record about a seller?
Can Amarillo police inspect a secondhand dealer's records?
Are precious metal dealers held to different rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Amarillo
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