Fairfield, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)

California maintains a centralized state framework for secondhand dealers and pawnbrokers. Business & Professions Code §21625 et seq. defines 'secondhand dealer' broadly to include any person engaged in the business of buying, selling, trading, taking in pawn, accepting for sale on consignment, accepting for auctioning, or auctioning secondhand tangible personal property — covering jewelry, electronics, musical instruments, sporting goods, and similar property identifiable by serial number or unique identifier. Pawnbrokers (defined in Financial Code §21000 et seq.) are a subset that lends money on the security of personal property. The state license is issued by the local police or sheriff's department on behalf of the California Department of Justice. The DOJ administers the California Pawn & Secondhand Dealer System (CAPSS), the mandatory electronic reporting system through which dealers transmit each transaction's details (item description, serial number, seller ID, purchase price) for cross-checking against stolen-property databases. Under BPC §21628, the dealer must hold purchased property for 30 days before resale to allow law-enforcement holds. Fairfield's Chapter 13 layers additional local requirements: (1) written permit application to the Chief of Police with applicant identification and business location; (2) non-refundable application fee per Council resolution, separate from any business license fee; (3) annual renewal; (4) operational limits restricting business to 9 AM-6 PM, no Sundays or legal holidays (with exceptions for the day before a legal holiday and the 24 days preceding Christmas, recognizing seasonal retail demand); (5) a bound book maintained at the business with copies of all transaction reports; and (6) coordination with FPD Code Enforcement (707-428-7587) for additional permit conditions tied to the business license. Failure to comply can result in permit suspension/revocation and state license action. Fairfield's secondhand industry includes pawn shops along Texas Street and the Solano Town Center area, plus thrift, vintage, and consignment operations across the city.