Charlotte, NC Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)

Article VI of Chapter 6 defines "junk" broadly as worn-out or discarded metal, old iron, used plumbing fixtures, automobile parts, chain, copper, bottles, rags and similar scrap (Section 6-366). Section 6-367 makes compliance mandatory for anyone in the city engaged in buying, selling, handling, storing or hauling junk. To start, the dealer files a written application with the chief of police stating the location of the business (Section 6-368); once approved, the applicant must pay the privilege tax under Chapter 13, Article II and post a bond before the permit issues (Section 6-369).

Ongoing obligations follow: Section 6-370 requires the dealer to report purchased articles to the chief of police on request, hold every purchased item open to police inspection for at least five days before moving or disposing of it, and never buy junk from minors. Section 6-371 layers on a daily paperwork requirement for specific categories, including automobile parts and accessories, hardware, plumbing fixtures, boilers, radiators, electrical fixtures, railroad rails and spikes, and lead, copper, brass, aluminum, silver or nickel scrap; the daily record must show the seller's name, sex, Social Security number and address, a description of each item, the date and hour acquired, and the license plate of any vehicle used to deliver it, with Saturday transactions reported the following Monday.

Section 6-372 then requires those same reported articles to be held seven full days at the junkyard before being broken, damaged or disposed of, unless the police department grants a written waiver of that hold. These sections trace to Code 1985, Sections 6-11 through 6-17, and remain unchanged in the current recodification.