Burleson, TX Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)

Chapter 66, Article III of the Burleson Code of Ordinances, titled Purchase and Sale of Regulated Property, is the City of Burleson's secondhand dealer regulation. Section 66-71 states its purpose: to discourage dealing in stolen property by requiring the purchaser of certain regulated property to maintain a record identifying the authorized vendor, or to record and maintain a reliable form of identification of the seller when the seller is not a manufacturer or authorized vendor. As printed, the article imposes record, hold, inspection and reporting duties rather than a separate city license.

Section 66-72 defines the terms. Regulated property includes, but is not limited to, new or used electronic equipment, business machines, cameras, power tools, musical instruments, firearms as defined by state law, jewelry, crafted precious metals, computers and radios, electronic storage devices, lawn maintenance equipment and household appliances. A dealer is a person who purchases regulated property for resale or salvage use and obtains more than 25 percent of the value of total inventory of regulated property from a source other than an authorized vendor or manufacturer.

Section 66-73 sets the duties. A buyer purchasing for resale or salvage either keeps an itemized sales record identifying the manufacturer or authorized vendor and describing each item by make, model, serial number, color and size, or, for a purchase from anyone else, records the time and date, the seller's name, sex, race, date of birth, weight, height, address and driver license or personal identification certificate number, the item description and the price paid. The buyer confirms the photograph on the identification matches the seller, withholds the property from resale or salvage for 20 business days, keeps each item tagged with the record serial number, and photographs items without a visible manufacturer serial number. Records are kept at the place of business for two years after purchase or until the property is sold, whichever occurs later.

Purchase records must be electronically reported in a digital format within 48 hours of the transaction date to the city police department in a manner specified by the chief of police. Section 66-74 requires the buyer to let any peace officer inspect records during regular business hours and to produce them immediately on request at a reasonable time.

Section 66-75 exempts automobile dealerships, aluminum can sales, charitable or eleemosynary organizations, used or secondhand clothing businesses, garage sales and pawnbrokers, though pawnbrokers must still report transactions to the police department.