Cayuga County, NY Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)

Chapter 218 was adopted March 28, 2017 by Local Law No. 5-2017 to create a uniform, countywide registration and recordkeeping system for secondhand dealers, aimed at curbing property theft tied to the opiate epidemic. Section 218-3 requires anyone operating, or holding themselves out, as a secondhand dealer in Cayuga County to first obtain a license from the County Sheriff. Applicants file with the Sheriff's office, provide fingerprints for a state and FBI background check, and certify no theft, larceny, burglary, stolen-property or fraud conviction in the preceding ten years; the Sheriff must approve or deny within 90 days.

Licensed dealers must record detailed seller and item information, including photo identification and, for precious metals, jewelry and gems, a photograph of the item, hold acquired goods for a seven-day waiting period before resale, and report transactions electronically through Leads Online within 72 hours. Garage sales, nonprofit sales, secondhand books, licensed auctions, most used furniture and clothing, and retailers whose secondhand sales are under 20% of gross retail sales are exempt. The chapter does not apply inside any city, village or town that already licenses or regulates the trade itself, so it reaches unincorporated areas and towns that have not adopted their own scheme.