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Snohomish County, WA Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)

Significant Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Annual fee
$250.00 per year
Exempt sellers
Intermittent, antique, consignment, book dealers
$75 item threshold
Pulls stamps/coins/books into rules
Hold period
30 days before resale
Hours
6:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m. only
Violation penalty
Gross misdemeanor (RCW 9A.20.021)

Summary

Buying and reselling used goods for a living in unincorporated Snohomish County requires a secondhand dealer license under SCC 6.19.010, priced at $250.00 a year, unless you qualify as an intermittent seller, antique dealer, consignment operator, or used book dealer under SCC 6.19.005(6). Licensed dealers must log every transaction and hold goods 30 days before resale.

City-specific rules exist: Marysville, Everett, and Lynnwood have their own secondhand dealers rules that differ from Snohomish County's county-level regulations. If you live in one of those cities, check the city-specific page instead.

"Secondhand dealer" means any person engaged in whole or in part in the business of purchasing, selling, trading, or bartering secondhand personal property, including metal, junk, or melted metals; PROVIDED, That the term shall not apply to any person who: (a) Is an intermittent seller of personal property, an antique dealer, a consignment store owner or a used book dealer as defined by this chapter... It is unlawful for any person to engage in a business as a pawnbroker or secondhand dealer without first having obtained a license. The license shall include a photograph of the licensee.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through legislation passed August 12, 2026).

Full Breakdown

80. 00 per year. 010(2) pulls it back into the recordkeeping, reporting, holding, and prohibited-seller rules. 050. 080). 100).

Violations & Fines

SCC 6.19.110 treats a secondhand dealer's or employee's failure to keep accurate transaction records, falsification or destruction of those records, false reporting to the sheriff, or knowingly buying from a prohibited seller as a gross misdemeanor under RCW 9A.20.021. SCC 6.19.115 separately makes it unlawful for a licensed dealer to employ anyone without a valid employee license issued under Chapter 6.20 SCC.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a license to run a secondhand store in Snohomish County?
In the unincorporated county, yes, unless you fit one of several carve-outs. SCC 6.19.005(6) exempts intermittent sellers who sell fewer than four times a year from a residence, antique dealers, consignment store operators, and used book dealers from the secondhand dealer license SCC 6.19.010(1) otherwise requires.
How much does a secondhand dealer license cost?
SCC 6.01.050(2) sets the fee at $250.00 per year under SCC 6.19.020, which also fixes the license term at one year from issuance, separate from the $300.00 pawnbroker fee charged under the same fee schedule.
Do garage sales or occasional online sellers need this license?
No. SCC 6.19.005(4) exempts an 'intermittent seller' who sells or exchanges secondhand household or recreational property from a residence fewer than four times a calendar year, covering typical garage-sale or occasional online sellers rather than ongoing resale businesses.
What records must a licensed secondhand dealer keep?
The same detailed log pawnbrokers keep under SCC 6.19.030: each seller's name, address, and physical description, a description of the item down to serial numbers, the price paid, the seller's thumbprint and signature, and daily transaction transcripts sent to the sheriff's office under SCC 6.19.050.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Snohomish County

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All Snohomish County rules

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Secondhand Dealers in Cities Across Snohomish County

Edmonds, WAEverett, WALynnwood, WAMarysville, WA