Jackson, MS Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- Reporting deadline
- Within 24 hours of each purchase/sale (§ 98-1(b))
- Report filed with
- Chief of police, on city-furnished forms
- Exempt
- Garage sales, nonprofits, used-car & antique dealers
- Junk storage
- Enclosed or fenced from public view (§ 98-76)
- Precious-metals tier
- Separate 6-month permit, 15-day hold (§§ 98-112, 98-114)
Summary
Every secondhand and junk dealer in Jackson must report each transaction to the police chief within 24 hours under Sec. 98-1(b), including the seller's name and address, a full description and serial number of the item, and the purchase price. Garage sales, nonprofits, used-car dealers, and antique dealers are excluded from the definition.
Sec. 98-1. - Reports generally.
(a) Definitions... Secondhand dealer means any person, firm, partnership, association, corporation, company, or organization of any kind which to any degree buys and sells secondhand articles. It shall not apply to a private citizen who has a garage and yard sale, a nonprofit organization, a used car dealer, or an antique dealer, unless purchasing from a private citizen.
(b) Requirements. Every junk dealer and secondhand dealer in the city is hereby required to make written reports to the chief of police upon forms furnished and paid for by the city. Such reports shall be made within 24 hours of receiving a sold or purchased article; shall show the name, description, and address of each person selling any article; shall give a complete description, serial number and identifying marks of the sold or purchased article; and shall indicate the purchase price of such article.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 55).
Full Breakdown
Sec. " Sec. 98-1(b) then requires "every junk dealer and secondhand dealer in the city" to file written reports with the chief of police on city-furnished forms within 24 hours of any purchase or sale, giving the seller's name, description and address, a complete description, serial number and identifying marks of the item, and the price paid. Article III adds a separate physical requirement for junk dealers specifically: Sec. " A narrower category, dealers in antique, used or scrap jewelry, silver, gold and other precious metals, faces a stiffer regime under Article IV: Sec.
98-112 requires a permit from the chief of police valid for no more than six months, and Sec. 98-114 forces them to hold any purchased item for 15 days before reselling, melting or otherwise changing its form. That stricter tier carries its own penalty in Sec. 00 and 90 days in jail, separate from the reporting duty that applies to ordinary secondhand and junk dealers.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 98 sets no dedicated fine for a plain secondhand or junk dealer who skips the 24-hour reporting requirement or the junk-screening rule, so those violations fall to the citywide general penalty in Sec. 1-10: up to $1,000.00, imprisonment up to the state-law maximum, or both, with each day counted separately. Precious-metals dealers who deal without the Sec. 98-112 permit face the harsher Sec. 98-111 penalty of up to $500.00 or 90 days in jail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Jackson secondhand or junk dealer need a city license?
Are garage sales treated as secondhand dealing under this chapter?
How long do precious-metals dealers have to hold items before reselling them?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Jackson
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