Detroit, MI Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- BSEED Business License Center
- Annual license expires
- November 1
- Purchase records
- kept in ink, open to police
- Resale hold
- 15 days before resale
- Store hours
- 7am–9pm (11pm Saturdays)
Summary
Detroit requires anyone buying, selling, or exchanging secondhand goods at a store, shop, or flea market to hold a used goods dealer license from the Buildings, Safety Engineering, and Environmental Department Business License Center before opening.
It shall be unlawful for any person to conduct or to maintain any business as a used goods dealer in the City without having first obtained a license from the Buildings, Safety Engineering, and Environmental Department Business License Center to operate such business.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 4).
Full Breakdown
A used goods dealer under Chapter 41, Article VII covers stores, shops, and flea markets that buy, sell, barter, or exchange secondhand articles: separate license schemes cover junk dealers, pawnbrokers, precious metal dealers, scrap metal dealers, and used vehicle dealers. Licensed dealers must record every purchase in ink, including the seller's driver's license or state ID number, and hold that book open to police and BSEED inspection at any time. Dealers must tag each purchased item, hold it at least 15 days before resale, and post "Licensed Used Goods Dealer" over the shop door. Shops must not open before 7:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m. (11:00 p.m. Saturdays).
Violations & Fines
Violating any provision is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to $500 and 90 days in jail per violation; each day a violation continues can bring a separate charge, per Sec. 41-7-2.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a license to run a secondhand store in Detroit?
What records must a Detroit secondhand dealer keep?
Are pawnbrokers and junk dealers covered by this license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Detroit
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Secondhand Dealers in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Wayne County handle secondhand dealers.