Hollywood, FL Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- License
- Local business tax receipt, Financial Services Dept.
- Fee range
- $250 to $1,500 per year by volume
- Term
- One year, renewable
- Banned hours
- No transactions 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
- Record hold
- Items held 15 days after police report
- Disqualifier
- Theft-type conviction within 10 years
- Inspection
- Police may inspect anytime, business hours
Summary
Anyone buying, selling, bartering, or pawning secondhand goods in Hollywood needs an annual local business tax receipt from the Director of Financial Services under City Code Chapter 121. The tax runs $250 to $1,500 a year based on sales volume, and the term "secondhand dealer" expressly folds in pawnbrokers and anyone lending money against pledged goods.
Every applicant for a local business tax receipt to engage in the business of a secondhand dealer shall file with the Director of Financial Services or his/her designee a written application upon a form prepared and provided by the city, signed by the applicant. The local business tax shall be as follows: (a) For businesses which transact less than $5,000 a year worth of business in secondhand goods, $250. (b) For businesses which transact from $5,000 to $10,000 a year worth of business in secondhand goods, $500. (c) For businesses which transact more than $10,000 a year worth of business in secondhand goods, $1,500.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 121 covers any person or firm holding itself out as buying, selling, bartering, or exchanging secondhand goods, retail or wholesale, with or without a fixed location; the definition of SECONDHAND DEALER specifically includes pawnbrokers and dealers who lend money on pledged items (§121.01). Registered charities, licensed garage sales, and dealers who exclusively trade coins are exempt. Applicants file a notarized written application with the Director of Financial Services listing residence history, employment background, any felony convictions, and the business premises; the local business tax scales with volume: $250 under $5,000 in yearly secondhand sales, $500 for $5,000 to $10,000, and $1,500 above $10,000 (§121.02(A)(1)).
Receipts run one year and are numbered, showing the business location, issuance, and expiration dates. No receipt can issue to anyone convicted within the prior ten years of theft, larceny, embezzlement, fraud, receiving or dealing in stolen property, or burglary, unless civil rights were restored; the same bar applies to officers, directors, and partners of a licensed entity, and employees with the same convictions cannot be hired without their name and address going to the Police Department within ten days (§121.03). The City Commission may revoke or condition a receipt after a chapter conviction, following 14 days' written notice and a public hearing (§121.04).
Dealers must keep a triplicate, prenumbered acquisition ledger with the seller's identification, description, and price, retain each item on premises at least 15 days after the police report is filed, and file a daily report with the Police Department within 24 hours of acquisition (§§121.05(E), 121.06, 121.07). City police officers may inspect the premises and records at any time during normal business hours (§121.08).
Violations & Fines
Operating without a valid receipt, transacting between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., buying from a minor or someone using a false name, refusing a police inspection, or failing to hold items 15 days is unlawful under §121.05 and punishable under the general penalty, §10.99: up to a $500 fine, up to 60 days in jail, or both, with each day of continued violation a separate offense. A chapter conviction can also trigger receipt revocation by the City Commission under §121.04.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hollywood
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