Denver, CO Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- License authority
- Director of Excise and Licenses
- Application fee
- $200
- Annual license fee
- $85
- Resale hold period
- 10 days minimum
- Police report deadline
- Within 3 days of sale/trade
Summary
Denver requires a secondhand dealer license from Excise and Licenses before buying or trading used goods, with a mandatory 10-day hold and police reporting on every transaction.
It shall be unlawful for any person to be a secondhand dealer as described in section 45-66 without first having applied for and obtained a secondhand dealer license from the director of excise and licenses. In the event that two (2) or more separate business entities shall be located in the same building, each such entity doing business under this article shall be required to have an individual license.
(Ord. No. 608-86, § 2, 9-15-86)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 147 Update 3).
Full Breakdown
It is unlawful to operate as a secondhand dealer in Denver without first applying for and obtaining a license from the Director of Excise and Licenses (DRMC § 45-101). Applicants must get sign-off from zoning, fire, and transportation/infrastructure before licensing and pass a good-moral-character review covering criminal and license history (§ 45-102); anyone whose secondhand dealer license was revoked in the prior 12 months is barred from reapplying. Every purchase or trade must be logged on a Colorado Bureau of Investigation-style form recording the seller's ID and item details, mailed to the Denver Police Department within 3 days (§§ 45-88, 45-89), and secondhand property must sit unsold on the premises for a full 10 days after purchase (§ 45-67). Application costs $200 plus an $85 annual license fee (§ 32-112).
Violations & Fines
Operating unlicensed, selling before the 10-day hold expires, or failing to report transactions to Denver Police within 3 days is unlawful under Chapter 45 and enforceable via the Chapter 1 general penalty provision; the Director of Excise and Licenses can also deny, suspend, or revoke the license.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long must a Denver secondhand dealer hold items before reselling?
Do Denver secondhand dealers have to report purchases to police?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Denver
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