Hoover, AL Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)

Sec. 8-330 defines a secondhand dealer as anyone operating a store, shop or place of business where secondhand goods, meaning previously owned property transferred from a manufacturer, wholesaler or retailer to a third party, are bought, sold, exchanged or bartered; the definition excludes secondhand tire dealers, and furniture and automobiles are not counted as secondhand goods under the article.

Sec. 8-335 requires every licensee to keep, at the place of business, a permanently bound book or an accessible electronic database with pages numbered by the manufacturer, and to enter in ink or electronically a detailed description of every item bought, sold or exchanged, the date and hour of the transaction, and any prominent marks, along with the seller's name, sex, race, right thumbprint, a photostatic copy of a photo ID, apparent age, date of birth, and residence and employment address. The dealer must verify that identity against a state driver's license or other proof approved by the chief of police and record the type of ID, its issuing authority and its card number, entering transactions in the order they occur. Removing a page or erasing or obliterating an entry is separately unlawful.

Sec. 8-336 lets any police officer inspect that book or database and any goods on the premises during ordinary business hours. Sec. 8-337 requires a daily report to the police department, on forms the chief approves, describing every item and the seller's identifying information from the preceding day (the next business day after a legal holiday), which may be filed by mail, hand delivery or approved electronic means but must be signed and kept as a permanent record. Sec. 8-338 bars buying or receiving property from a minor.