Hillsboro, OR Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required by
- HMC 5.20.030(A)
- Issued by
- Chief of Police
- Occasional dealer threshold
- 125 items per year
- Denial grounds
- felony, theft convictions
- Penalty
- civil penalties, HMC 5.20.140
Summary
Anyone buying, acquiring or reselling used regulated property in Hillsboro needs a City secondhand dealer or occasional dealer permit before doing business, issued only after a Police Chief background check.
No person or business shall engage in or conduct an occasional secondhand dealer business, a secondhand dealer business or be a dealer or occasional secondhand dealer in the City without first having a secondhand dealer permit or occasional dealer permit as appropriate.B.Upon either acquiring or offering for sale more than 125 items of regulated property during any 365-day period, an occasional secondhand dealer shall apply for and obtain a secondhand dealer permit before acquiring any more items of regulated property.C.Any person or business advertising or otherwise holding itself out to be either acquiring or offering regulated property for sale is presumed to be a dealer.D.The sale of regulated property at events commonly referred to as "garage sales," "yard sales" or "estate sales" is exempt from these regulations if all of the following conditions are met:1.No sale exceeds a period of 4 calendar days; and2.No more than 4 sales are held at the same location in any calendar year. (Ord. 6063, § 1, 2013)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 1 | Community Development Code: Supplement 1).
Full Breakdown
HMC 5.20.030(A) bars operating as a secondhand dealer or occasional dealer without a City permit. Applicants submit a personal history form covering ownership, prior licenses and arrests (5.20.050), and the Chief of Police must deny the permit for felony convictions, theft-related offenses, prior revocations or a public-nuisance finding (5.20.060(B)). Casual sellers of their own household goods, charities, and one-time trade-show vendors are excluded from the 'dealer' definition (5.20.010), and garage/yard/estate sales are separately exempted under 5.20.030(D).
Violations & Fines
Operating without a permit, or violating a permit condition, can bring civil penalties under HMC 5.20.140 and permit revocation or suspension for up to a year under HMC 5.20.150.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to run a secondhand or resale shop in Hillsboro?
Are yard sales covered by this permit rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hillsboro
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Secondhand Dealers in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Washington County handle secondhand dealers.