Baldwin Park, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)

Baldwin Park's Municipal Code does not carry a dedicated secondhand-goods ordinance with police reporting or holding-period rules; the operative provision is the "Junk dealers" entry in the Chapter 111 business license tax schedule. Section 111.51(C) sets the annual license fee for junk dealers at $50, plus $7 for each employee over three, the same fee structure used for pawnshops and several other trades in the schedule. Before that fee applies, the business must first clear Section 111.03, which makes it "unlawful for any person to engage in any business in the city without first obtaining a business license, and paying the license tax therefor," and expressly makes a violation an infraction rather than a misdemeanor.

Licenses issued under Chapter 111 run annually, with tax due in advance on the anniversary month of issuance under Section 111.12, and the City Clerk administers renewals and posting requirements. The City Clerk enforces the chapter under Section 111.22, with authority, shared with any police officer, to enter a licensed place of business and demand the certificate on the spot; willfully refusing to exhibit it is itself an infraction. A dealer who misses a renewal payment is assessed a 10% per month penalty under Section 111.13, capped at 100% of the tax due, and the unpaid balance is recoverable by the city as a debt under Section 111.14.