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Yuba County, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified August 2026

Key Facts

License required for
pawnbrokers and secondhand dealers
Issued annually by
County Tax Collector
Sheriff investigation
fingerprints, photo, 15-day recommendation
Records retained
at least two years
Resale hold
10 days after receipt
Max penalty
$1,000 fine and/or 6 months jail
Revocation
10 days' notice, no refund for 6 months

Summary

Unincorporated Yuba County requires anyone operating as a pawnbroker or secondhand dealer to hold an annual license from the County Tax Collector before opening for business, under County Code § 6.35.010. Applicants undergo a Sheriff's Office background investigation, must log every transaction, and cannot resell an item for ten days after receiving it.

These county ordinances apply to unincorporated areas of Yuba County. Incorporated cities within the county may have their own rules that take precedence over county-level regulations.

6.35.010. - License; required. It shall be unlawful for any person or business organization to engage in the business of a pawnbroker or secondhand dealer without first having procured a license pursuant to this Chapter. ... 6.35.130. - Violations; sale within ten days. Except for motor vehicles currently registered with the State of California, it shall be unlawful for any person or business organization licensed under this Chapter to sell or otherwise dispose of any article within ten days after receipt of such articles and the entry of such article on the records requiring to be kept under Section 6.35.110. ... 6.35.170. - Penalties. Any person or business organization violating any of the provisions of this Chapter shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine not exceeding $1,000.00, or by imprisonment in the County Jail for a period not exceeding six months, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 6).

Full Breakdown

020(2) as anyone buying, selling or otherwise dealing in secondhand goods. 030 exempts a single sale of secondhand goods lasting no more than 48 hours within any 30-day period, held away from a regular business location by someone with an ownership or possessory interest in the property, along with car dealers licensed under the Vehicle Code and businesses reselling their own used equipment. 040, a license must be obtained annually, in advance, from the County Tax Collector, with a separate license required for each business location.

080 requires the Board itself to approve every license. 090 lets the Board revoke a license for a violation of the Chapter or state law after ten days' written notice and a hearing, and bars any refund until six months after revocation. 110 requires licensees to keep a daily record of every article received, including the hour, the seller's name and address, an item description, the pawn ticket number, the amount loaned or paid, and any serial number, retained for at least two years and open to Sheriff's Department inspection. 130 bars selling or disposing of any received article, other than a currently registered motor vehicle, within ten days of receipt and logging. 160.

Violations & Fines

Violating any provision of Chapter 6.35, including the recordkeeping duty in § 6.35.110 (made independently unlawful by § 6.35.120) and the ten-day holding period in § 6.35.130, is a misdemeanor under § 6.35.170: a fine up to $1,000.00, up to six months in the County Jail, or both. Each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense, and the Sheriff's Office enforces recordkeeping compliance directly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a license to sell secondhand goods in unincorporated Yuba County?
Yes, if you operate as a pawnbroker or secondhand dealer under § 6.35.010. The only exemption in § 6.35.030 is for a single sale lasting no more than 48 hours within any 30-day period, held away from your regular business location with proof of the property owner's permission; licensed used-car dealers are also exempt.
How long must I hold an item before reselling it?
Section 6.35.130 requires you to hold any secondhand article, other than a currently registered motor vehicle, for ten days after receipt and after logging it in the daily records required by § 6.35.110, which must show the seller's name, address, and the item's description and serial number.
Who issues the license and who investigates applicants?
The County Tax Collector issues the annual license under § 6.35.040, but the Sheriff's Office fingerprints and photographs each applicant, investigates the proposed business location, and reports a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors within 15 days, per § 6.35.070; the Board of Supervisors makes the final approval decision under § 6.35.080.
Can the county revoke my license?
Yes. Section 6.35.090 lets the Board of Supervisors revoke a license for any violation of Chapter 6.35 or applicable state law, but only after giving the licensee ten days' written notice and a hearing at which the licensee may contest the revocation; no license fee is refunded until at least six months after revocation.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Yuba County

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