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

Section 8.36.110 reads that a person or business licensed under Chapters 5.00, 5.04, 5.20 through 5.32 and 5.48 of the Buena Park Municipal Code shall not buy, sell or otherwise deal in secondhand tangible personal property, as defined in Section 21627 of the California Business and Professions Code, or similar secondhand merchandise, including but not limited to secondhand jewelry, precious stones, watches, or metal tableware, without first obtaining a secondhand dealer license as provided in Sections 21625, et seq., of the California Business and Professions Code.

The section traces to Prior Code § 18-8 and Ordinance No. 1220 (1988). It layers on top of the city's baseline business-license rule at § 5.00.040, which requires that no person shall commence, transact or carry on any business, trade, profession, calling or occupation in the city without first having procured a license from the city, issued by the finance director under §§ 5.00.050 and 5.00.060. Because Chapter 8.36 sets no penalty of its own, a violation defaults to the city's general Chapter 1.04 scheme: a misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000 and six months in jail, or, if charged as an infraction, escalating fines of $100, $200 and $500 for repeat violations within a year.

The city can also collect any unpaid license fee as a debt under § 5.00.080, and § 5.00.090 bars issuing a new license to any applicant who owes back license fees. Buena Park's cross-reference to Business and Professions Code § 21625 et seq. means secondhand dealers must also comply with the state's reporting-of-transactions and record-keeping requirements for used merchandise before resale.