Arlington Heights, IL Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)

Section 12-1101 requires a license before engaging in the business of a second-hand dealer, expressly carving out pawnbrokers and junk dealers, who are licensed under their own Village articles, and charitable or religious resale. Section 12-1103 requires every dealer to record the date of each transaction, the name and address of the purchaser or seller, and a description of the item including any identification numbers, with the records and the goods themselves open to police inspection at all reasonable times. Section 12-1104 bans purchasing, receiving or displaying for sale any revolver, pistol, blackjack or sawed-off shotgun.

Section 12-1105 sets 21 as the minimum age to hold a second-hand dealer license or be employed in the business, requires written parental or guardian consent for any transaction with a minor, and bars buying from anyone who appears intoxicated or is a known thief; stolen property traced to the shop must be returned to its owner without repayment of what the dealer paid for it. Section 12-1106 requires reporting any item the dealer has reason to believe was lost or stolen. Section 12-1107 keeps the license lanes separate from pawnbroking, requiring a dealer who also wants to run a pawnshop to hold both licenses, while barring any second-hand dealer from operating as a junk dealer at all. Section 12-1108 bars storing, handling or displaying second-hand articles on any property outside the licensed premises.