El Paso, TX Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)

City Code Chapter 5.12 regulates dealers in secondhand goods, crafted precious metals, coin dealers and pawnbrokers. Section 5.12.020 declares it "the policy of the city ... to regulate engaging in or conducting business in secondhand goods," and Section 5.12.040 makes the license mandatory: "It is unlawful for an individual, partnership, corporation, joint venture, trust, association or other legal entity to engage in the business of secondhand goods without first paying the established non-refundable fee(s) and obtaining a license." A separate license is required for every location.

Licenses run one year from issuance under Section 5.12.050. Every dealer must keep a sequentially numbered record of each transaction, including the seller's photo ID, physical description, date of birth, and a full item description, and must hold acquired goods on the premises for a minimum of twenty days before resale so police can inspect them (Sections 5.12.110 and 5.12.140). Dealers cannot buy from anyone under eighteen without a parent or guardian's written consent, and cannot buy an item with an altered or removed serial number.

Junk dealers, antique/art/collectibles dealers, licensed gun dealers, neighborhood garage sales, nonprofit thrift shops and itinerant sellers are excluded from the licensing article under Section 5.12.160, though antique and coin dealers still must comply for any non-exempt secondhand goods they handle.