Dunwoody, GA Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)

Chapter 10, article II of the Dunwoody Code of Ordinances requires anyone who acquires or transfers regulated secondhand items, or who works for a secondhand dealer, to hold a city permit under Section 10-52; regulated items include precious metals and gems, goods made from them, pledged goods, and any property acquired by a pawnbroker. Section 10-54 requires the business to operate from a fixed, permanent location holding an occupation tax certificate and bars operating as a peddler or transient merchant. Applicants and employees must be at least 18 years old, and Section 10-55(a) bars anyone convicted of, or who pleaded guilty to, a felony or any crime involving theft, fraud or property offenses from holding a permit until ten years after completing that sentence.

Employees must be fingerprinted by the Dunwoody Police Department, and the city has 45 days to investigate an application before approving or denying it. Section 10-56 requires the applicant to disclose ten years of aliases, employment history and any prior dealer permits that were revoked or suspended anywhere, plus a fingerprint-based background check. Section 10-57 lists the grounds on which the city manager can reject, suspend or revoke a permit, including unpaid fees or taxes and, distinctively, that the dealership is or will be located within 2,500 feet, front door to front door, of another secondhand dealership.

Secondhand dealers must also keep a serially numbered record book of every item acquired, take photographs and fingerprints of sellers, and report each transaction to the police department's electronic reporting system, holding acquired property at least 15 days before resale.