Columbia, SC Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)

Chapter 11, Article V of the Columbia Code of Ordinances governs junk shops and secondhand dealers. Section 11-133 requires every licensed dealer to keep a book recording, at the time of each purchase, the name and residence of the seller and the hour and date. , Sundays excepted. Section 11-136 forces dealers to retain every purchased article in stock, subject to inspection, for at least 48 hours after purchase, giving police a window to recover stolen goods before resale. Section 11-132 restricts buying hours to between sunrise and sunset, no exceptions.

Section 11-131 bars a dealer from purchasing or bartering any covered article from a minor without written permission from the minor's parent or guardian, which must be kept on file and produced on demand. Section 11-135 gives the license inspector and the chief of police (or their designees) standing authority to inspect these records at any time, and section 11-137 extends that authority to inspection of the shop premises itself, at all times. Section 11-138 lets city council suspend or revoke a junk or secondhand dealer's license for violating any provision of the Code, state law, or city ordinance, rule or regulation.

These sections trace to Code 1979 §§ 2-5021 through 2-5028, so the recordkeeping and hour restrictions have governed Columbia junk shops for decades without repeal.