Glendale, AZ Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 21-1 (secondhand dealer definition)
- Exempt categories
- Antique dealers, used-parts sellers, others
- ID check
- Required before every transaction
- Police report deadline
- Within 2 business days of receipt
- Civil sanction
- Up to $2,500 per violation, § 21-48
Summary
Glendale requires a special regulatory license for anyone buying, selling or trading secondhand goods, with exemptions for antique dealers and used-parts sellers, plus mandatory ID checks and two-business-day police reporting on covered items.
Secondhand dealer: Any owner or operator of a business which buys, sells, trades, exchanges, takes consignments or otherwise deals in secondhand goods, wares or merchandise, whether such business be the principal or sole business so carried on or be merely incidental to, in connection with, or a branch or a department of some other business; provided, that the following persons shall not be considered secondhand dealers, other than owners or operators who deal in precious items, as defined in A.R.S. § 44-1601:
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 115).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 21, Article I, Section 21-1 defines a Secondhand dealer broadly as any owner or operator of a business that buys, sells, trades, exchanges, takes consignments of, or otherwise deals in secondhand goods, wares or merchandise, whether that is the business's principal activity or just a branch of another business. § 44-1601: dealers who take used motor vehicle tires or parts, farm implement, farm machinery, road equipment or mining equipment parts in part payment for new or reconditioned parts; antique dealers; dealers whose transfers require a recorded written instrument under state law; persons licensed for occasional sales under Article IV of the chapter; and licensed park-and-swap or open-air market participants.
Section 21-2 makes operating as a secondhand dealer without a special regulatory license unlawful. Section 21-41(a) requires checking an unexpired, government-issued photo ID with a photograph before accepting any item by consignment, deposit, pawn, pledge, trade or purchase, and bars taking items from anyone under 18 without a parent or guardian's ID. Section 21-41(b) requires a complete report on items received, including the price paid, a fingerprint, and the supplier's description, delivered to the chief of police within two business days, and Section 21-41(c) bars reselling or moving that property for twenty days after the report is filed. Section 21-41(e) opens the dealer's premises, records and stock to reasonable police inspection at reasonable hours.
Violations & Fines
Section 21-48 imposes a per-report fee when the report covers a firearm, jewelry, a serial-numbered item, or an item worth $100 or more, and sets a civil sanction of up to $2,500 per violation for willfully failing to comply with the fee or reporting requirements; these are civil code infractions enforced in city court under Chapter 13, Article II. Failing the Section 21-3 issuance standards can also cost the dealer the special regulatory license itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does an antique dealer need a secondhand dealer license in Glendale?
What ID must a Glendale secondhand dealer collect before buying an item?
How much can a Glendale secondhand dealer be fined for violations?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Glendale
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