Bay County, MI Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- Licensing authority
- Bay County Executive
- Governing ordinance
- Part 18, Ord. No. 52 (2011)
- Buying hours ban
- 9 p.m. to 7 a.m.
- Reporting required
- Electronic log since April 1, 2011
- Appeal window
- 14 days
Summary
Bay County requires secondhand dealers, buyers and sellers of used goods like electronics, tools, jewelry and precious metals, to hold a license from the County Executive under Part 18 of the county code. Every applicant undergoes a Sheriff background check, and dealers cannot buy goods between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. or from anyone under 18, intoxicated, or known to deal in stolen property.
Sec. 2. The County Executive is designated and authorized to issue, suspend and revoke licenses for persons, corporations, partnerships, companies or firms to carry on the business of a secondhand dealer pursuant to 1917 PA 350, as amended, MCL 445.401 et seq., "the Secondhand Dealers Act." ... No secondhand dealer shall purchase or receive any goods between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.; nor from any person under the age of eighteen (18) years; nor from any person who is at the time intoxicated or from a known habitual drunkard, nor from any person known by said secondhand dealer to be a thief or any associate of thieves or a receiver of stolen property.
Full Breakdown
Part 18, the Secondhand and Scrap Dealer Ordinance (Ord. No. 401 et seq. A secondhand dealer covers appliances, radios, stereos, televisions, video and computer equipment, gaming equipment, tools, auto parts, guns, jewelry, precious metals, musical instruments, sporting goods, bicycles, lawn equipment and snow blowers, but excludes scrap processors, automotive recyclers, junkyards, repossessing retailers and licensed automobile dealers. Every application goes to the Sheriff for a fingerprint-based background investigation before the County Executive decides. Since April 1, 2011, dealers must transmit each transaction record electronically to the Sheriff over the county's reporting website for the listed high-theft categories, and keep a short paper form with the seller's right thumbprint for every purchase.
, from anyone under 18, from an intoxicated person or known habitual drunkard, or from anyone they know to be a thief, an associate of thieves, or a receiver of stolen property. A secondhand dealer who also lends money on pledged property must separately hold a pawnbroker's license; the two businesses are not interchangeable. Licenses are non-transferable, must be displayed in public view, and a license application inside Bay City must also satisfy Bay City's own zoning ordinance, chapter 122, or the ordinance of whatever city, village or township the business sits in.
Violations & Fines
The County Executive can suspend or revoke a secondhand-dealer license for cause after written notice and a hearing; a suspension is treated as intent to revoke and automatically becomes a revocation unless the dealer requests an appeal within 14 days under Section 18.021. Any violation of the state Secondhand Dealers Act itself, including failing to report transactions or buying outside legal hours, is also treated as a violation of the county ordinance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who must get a Bay County secondhand dealer license?
What hours can a Bay County secondhand dealer buy goods?
Does a secondhand dealer license let a business also loan money on pledges?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bay County
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