Skip to main content
CityRuleLookup

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

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Permit required
Use permit, planning commission (17.30.030)
Allowed zone
M-2 general industrial only
Screening rule
6-foot solid wall or fence required
Pawn shop zoning
Permitted by right in C-2, C-3 only
Baseline requirement
City business license certificate (5.04.060)

Summary

Folsom has no standalone secondhand-dealer license chapter; its dealer-in-used-goods rule targets junkyards and auto wrecking yards. FMC 17.30.030 requires a use permit before any such yard operates, and the operator must keep it neat, sanitary, and nuisance-free or face revocation.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this code, no junkyard or auto wrecking yard shall be operated within the city without having first obtained a use permit, which shall be conditioned upon the maintenance and operation of such junkyard or auto wrecking yard, in a neat and sanitary manner, and under such conditions as to not cause a nuisance or otherwise disturb the neighborhood from burning or unsightly accumulation of junk or auto parts. ... The following when enclosed within a solid wall or fence not less than 6 feet in height, and of a type approved by the planning commission: ... Junkyard, auto wrecking yard.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 1369, passed April 28, 2026).

Full Breakdown

030(2). The permit is conditioned on keeping the yard in a neat and sanitary manner and prohibits burning or an unsightly accumulation of junk or auto parts that would disturb the neighborhood; the city can revisit or revoke the permit if those conditions are not maintained. 020(3)(e)(ii) adds a physical screening requirement: the operation must be enclosed within a solid wall or fence not less than six feet high, of a type first approved by the planning commission, before the yard can open. Other secondhand goods dealers fare differently under Folsom's code.

030(E), item 170, permits pawn shops outright, without any use permit, in the C-2 central business and C-3 general commercial zones, but bars them entirely from the C-1 neighborhood business and BP business-professional zones. 060 before opening, separate from any zoning-based use permit. There is no chapter in Title 5 imposing police reporting, holding-period, or precious-metals-register requirements on secondhand dealers as such; state law requirements under the Business and Professions Code apply independently of the municipal code.

Violations & Fines

Operating a junkyard or auto wrecking yard without the required use permit, or in violation of its neat-and-sanitary conditions, is enforceable as a code violation under the city's general administrative violation procedures in FMC Chapters 1.08 through 1.10, which authorize notices to correct, administrative citations, and abatement as a public nuisance for a noncomplying yard.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I open a junkyard anywhere in Folsom?
No. FMC 17.30.030 confines junkyards and auto wrecking yards to the M-2 general industrial zone and requires a use permit from the planning commission before the operation can start, conditioned on keeping the site neat, sanitary, and free of nuisance conditions.
Does a pawn shop need a special permit in Folsom?
No separate use permit is required. FMC 17.22.030(E) lists pawn shops as an outright permitted use in the C-2 and C-3 commercial zones, though they are barred from the C-1 and BP zones; every business still needs the standard citywide business license certificate.
What screening does a junk dealer need to install?
FMC 17.30.020(3)(e)(ii) requires the yard be enclosed within a solid wall or fence at least six feet high, of a type the planning commission has approved, before the use permit for the yard can be exercised.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Folsom

All Folsom rules

California rules heatmap·Compare Folsom to another location·View the California business licensing & operations overview

Get notified when Secondhand Dealers in Folsom, CA changes

We'll email you the moment we detect a change in the code. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

We'll never sell or share your email. One-click unsubscribe in every email.

See something wrong?

Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.

Secondhand Dealers in Nearby Cities

How other cities in Sacramento County handle secondhand dealers.

Elk Grove, CA
Some Restrictions
Rancho Cordova, CA
Some Restrictions
Sacramento, CA
Significant Restrictions