Charleston, WV Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- Junk dealer, agent, itinerant collector
- Resident license wait
- 1 year city residency
- Transferable
- No
- Felony conviction
- Disqualifies applicant
- Issuing office
- City collector
Summary
Charleston requires anyone buying or selling junk, including itinerant collectors, to hold a city license before doing business.
(a)No person within the city shall engage in the business of junk dealer, junk dealer's agent or itinerant junk collector without a license, which license shall be issued as provided in this article.(b)No resident license shall be issued to any junk dealer, junk dealer's agent or itinerant junk collector who has not been a resident of the city for a period of at least one year prior to the application of such license.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 56).
Full Breakdown
City Code Sec. 18-681 bars operating as a junk dealer, junk dealer's agent, or itinerant junk collector without a license from the city collector. Resident licenses go only to applicants who have lived in Charleston at least one year before applying; corporations must have officers or agents who themselves qualify as resident dealers. Licenses are non-transferable, and anyone with a felony conviction, or a junk-business misdemeanor within the prior five years, is barred from holding one.
Violations & Fines
Operating as an unlicensed junk dealer, agent, or itinerant collector violates Sec. 18-681. A license obtained on a false statement, or issued to someone ineligible, is void under Sec. 18-685.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a felon get a Charleston junk dealer license?
How long must I live in Charleston for a resident license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Charleston
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