Chattanooga, TN Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- Certificate of occupancy
- Required, city council must approve
- Purchase register
- Daily report to police chief
- Business hours
- 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
- Metallic junk permit
- City treasurer permit per transaction
Summary
Chattanooga requires junkyards and junk shops to get a certificate of occupancy approved by city council vote, and makes secondhand and junk dealers keep a purchase register and report daily to police.
No junkyard or junk shop shall be established or opened on any lot or yard or in any building in the city without a certificate of occupancy. Application for such certificate shall be made to the building inspector, who shall not issue any such certificate until such application has been presented to the city council at a regular meeting, and the issuance of such certificate has been authorized by a majority vote of the city council.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 40 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Under Chattanooga City Code Article VII, no junkyard or junk shop may open without a certificate of occupancy that the building inspector cannot issue until the city council authorizes it by majority vote at a regular meeting. Separately, every secondhand dealer, secondhand motor vehicle dealer, and junk dealer must keep a register recording each purchase, item, price, date, time, and seller's identity, and deliver a copy to the police chief daily before 10:00 a.m. Junk dealers also need a city treasurer permit for each transaction in metallic fixtures or junk. Secondhand dealers may not open before 7:00 a.m. or after 6:00 p.m.
Violations & Fines
Operating an unpermitted junkyard, buying junk without a treasurer's permit, or skipping the purchase register and daily police report is a misdemeanor; police may inspect records and articles at any reasonable time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Chattanooga require a license to open a secondhand or junk shop?
Do secondhand dealers have to keep records of what they buy?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chattanooga
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