Kern County, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- License authority
- Kern County Sheriff, vice-licensing unit
- DOJ hold
- 30 days after application submitted to DOJ
- Application form
- State Department of Justice secondhand dealer form
- First violation fine
- 300% of the applicable license fee
- Appeal window
- 20 days to appeal denial to board
Summary
Kern County requires a secondhand dealer to hold a sheriff-issued business license under Chapter 5.04, using the state Department of Justice application form, and the sheriff cannot issue that license until 30 days after the DOJ receives the application. The sheriff's vice-licensing unit investigates every applicant's criminal history before approval.
Pursuant to the provisions of Business and Professions Code Section 21641, no license for a secondhand dealer shall be issued before thirty (30) days after the application is submitted to the State Department of Justice.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 59 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
04 folds secondhand dealer licensing into its general business-license scheme rather than giving it a standalone chapter. 040(A)(8) makes every applicant disclose whether the goods they deal in are new, used, secondhand, or scrap or salvaged. 060(A), applying the disqualification standards in Business and Professions Code Sections 480, 493 and 475(c) and, specifically for secondhand dealers, the dictates of Business and Professions Code Section 21641. 050. 140(C) then imposes the 30-day DOJ hold before any secondhand dealer license can issue, and bars the sheriff from making approval conditional except as allowed in that section. 120, triggering a public hearing within 30 days. 250.
Violations & Fines
Operating as a secondhand dealer without the sheriff-issued license violates Section 5.04.010 and carries a minimum fine under Section 5.04.290 of 300% of the license fee that would otherwise apply, with maximum fines and repeat-violation penalties set by Business and Professions Code Section 21645. The board of supervisors can also suspend or revoke an existing license after a noticed hearing under Section 5.04.230, and a revoked licensee cannot reapply for one year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a license to run a secondhand dealer business in unincorporated Kern County?
How long does it take to get a secondhand dealer license?
Can the sheriff deny my secondhand dealer license application?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kern County
California rules heatmap·Compare Kern County to another location·View the California business licensing & operations overview
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