Fairfax County, VA Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required by
- Section 33-1-2, Chapter 33 Article 1
- Annual permit fee
- $200
- Required bond
- $10,000 surety bond or letter of credit
- Police reporting
- Bill of sale within 24 hours
- Mandatory hold period
- 15 calendar days before resale
- Record retention
- 24 months
- Penalty
- Class 2, then Class 1, misdemeanor
Summary
Buying secondhand precious metals or gems in Fairfax County without a Chapter 33 dealer permit is unlawful under Section 33-1-2. The Department of Cable and Consumer Services issues the $200 annual permit only after a felony and moral-turpitude background check, and dealers must post a $10,000 bond, verify every seller's ID, and report each purchase to police within 24 hours.
No person shall engage in the activities of a dealer as defined in Section 33-1-1 without first obtaining a permit from the Director as provided herein, and without complying with all other provisions of this Chapter. Possession of a permit issued in another locality shall not relieve a dealer of the obligation to obtain a permit from the Director. ... Any person convicted of violating any of the provisions of this Chapter shall be guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor for the first offense. Upon conviction of any subsequent offense, he shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 33, Article 1 defines a 'dealer' as anyone who buys secondhand precious metals or gems, strips them from manufactured articles, or resells items removed that way; retailers taking trade-ins, estate fiduciaries, wholesale-to-wholesale sales, and scrap-metal processors are excluded (Section 33-1-1). Section 33-1-2 makes it unlawful to engage in that business without a permit from the Director, and holding a permit from another locality doesn't substitute. To obtain one, a dealer files fingerprints, personal data and business location with a $200 fee; the Director must deny the permit if the applicant was convicted of a felony or crime of moral turpitude in the prior seven years, and any false statement on the application voids the permit from the start (Section 33-1-3).
Every dealer must also post a $10,000 surety bond or bank letter of credit before receiving the permit (Section 33-1-10). Before buying, a dealer must check the seller's government-issued photo ID plus one more corroborating ID and get a signed statement of ownership (Section 33-1-5); dealers may not buy from anyone under 18 or from a seller they believe isn't the true owner (Section 33-1-8). Every purchase record, plus digital images of the item and the seller's ID, must be kept for 24 months and a copy of the bill of sale sent to the Chief of Police within 24 hours (Section 33-1-6).
Purchased items must be held untouched, unsold and inside the County for 15 calendar days after that report reaches police (Section 33-1-9). Dealers must let the Chief of Police or any law enforcement officer search the premises and records during business hours (Section 33-1-12).
Violations & Fines
A first violation of Chapter 33 is a Class 2 misdemeanor; any later conviction is a Class 1 misdemeanor under Section 33-1-14(a). A first conviction lets the Director revoke the dealer's permit for a full year, and revocation becomes mandatory for two full years after a second violation (Section 33-1-14(b)).
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as a 'dealer' under Fairfax County's secondhand metals law?
How do I get a dealer permit?
How long must I hold an item before reselling it?
What happens if I don't have a permit or violate the reporting rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fairfax County
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