Gretna, LA Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)

Chapter 46, Article III of the Gretna Code of Ordinances licenses secondhand dealers, defined in Sec. 46-36 as anyone buying, selling, trading in, or otherwise acquiring or disposing of used property such as jewelry, silverware, diamonds, art, clothing, tools, and automobile accessories and supplies; the retail jewelry, automobile, furniture and antique trades are carved out of the definition entirely. Sec. 46-37 requires a license before doing business as a secondhand dealer, and the application must specify the street address of the business, be signed by at least three property taxpayers of the city certifying the applicant's good moral character, and come with a $2,500.00 bond in favor of the city conditioned on compliance with the article. Sec. 46-38 requires any change in business location to be noted on the license and reported in writing to the chief of police.

Once licensed, a dealer's hours are fixed by Sec. 46-50: a shop may not open before 7:00 a.m. or stay open past 7:00 p.m., except that the closing hour extends to 10:00 p.m. on Saturdays and throughout the month of December. Sec. 46-40 also keeps a licensed dealer's location at least 300 feet from any official gaming establishment or riverboat gaming dock, measured by sidewalk distance, though later construction of a gaming facility near an existing dealer is not grounds to revoke that dealer's license. Extensive recordkeeping duties run through Secs. 46-41 through 46-49, including a purchase register kept for three years, photo identification of sellers, and a daily report to the chief of police by noon.

A dealer who violates the article is punished under Sec. 1-8, and Sec. 46-51 lets the occupational license tax collector move in court to suspend or revoke a noncompliant dealer's license; anyone convicted of selling stolen goods has the license revoked outright.