Cecil County, MD Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- License term
- July 1 to June 30 annually
- FY2017 license fee
- $250 (prorated $125)
- Background check
- Sheriff's Office criminal history check
- Reporting
- Daily electronic list to Sheriff's Pawn Unit
- Item tagging
- Within 24 hours of acquisition
- Max penalty
- $500/day/transaction or 6 months jail
Summary
Secondhand dealers in unincorporated Cecil County must hold an annual license from the Department of Permits and Inspections, pass a Sheriff's Office background check, and file a daily transaction report, separately from but alongside the county's pawnbroker rules.
SECONDHAND DEALER An individual or business that acquires commercially from the public and trades commercially with the public in tangible secondhand personal property. The term "secondhand dealer" does not apply to a pawnbroker; a business that deals primarily with the purchase and sale of antiques; a charitable organization that accepts only donations; garage or yard sales; the purchase on consignment of secondhand clothing, furniture, books, or baby accessories and toys; activities of a club, school, church, or charitable organization that include the sale of donated items; auctions; or estate sales. ... Every pawnbroker, dealer, or secondhand dealer doing business in the County on or after the effective date of this chapter shall be required to purchase a license for each location at which the pawnbroker, dealer, or secondhand dealer conducts business in this County.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 262 regulates secondhand dealers as a category distinct from pawnbrokers, defined in § 262-1 as an individual or business that acquires commercially from the public and trades commercially with the public in tangible secondhand personal property, expressly excluding antique dealers, charities that only accept donations, garage or yard sales, consignment of secondhand clothing, furniture, books or baby items, and estate sales or auctions. A requires every secondhand dealer doing business in the County to purchase a license for each location, valid for one year from July 1 to June 30 and issued by the Department of Permits and Inspections at a fee set annually by the County Council, $250 for Fiscal Year 2017.
B requires the dealer, applicants, and employees to pass a national and state criminal history check performed by the Cecil County Sheriff's Office, barring anyone convicted of a felony, theft, fraud, or a secondhand-dealer-law violation. B, and under § 262-7 tag every item within 24 hours of acquisition with its transaction number, description, and acquisition date before it may be sold.
Violations & Fines
Section 262-10.B sets the default penalty for any violation of §§ 262-1 through 262-9 not otherwise specifically punished: a fine not to exceed $500 per day, per transaction, for each violation, or imprisonment not exceeding six months, or both. A conviction under § 262-10 also revokes the dealer's license and bars the licensee from holding a Chapter 262 license for one year under § 262-10.C, and § 262-9.A separately bans automated purchasing machines (reverse vending machines) outright within the County.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a secondhand dealer treated differently from a pawnbroker under Cecil County law?
Are garage sales or antique shops required to get this license?
How quickly must a secondhand dealer tag purchased items?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cecil County
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