La Mesa, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- License
- Processed under Title 6, Chapter 6.05; no extra fee
- Daily report
- 'Buy form' filed with Chief of Police each day
- Hold period
- 30 days before any sale or disposal
- Police records
- Kept on file by Chief of Police for 2 years
- Export ban
- No held property leaves San Diego County unreleased
- Penalty
- Up to $500 fine and/or 6 months jail
Summary
La Mesa Municipal Code Chapter 10.95 licenses secondhand and pawn dealers to keep stolen goods out of the resale market. Dealers must file a daily 'buy form' with the Chief of Police and hold every item for thirty days before selling or disposing of it. Violations are a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $500 fine and six months in county jail.
A.A secondhand dealer, as defined, includes any person, copartnership, firm, or corporation whose business is buying, selling, trading, taking in pawn, accepting for sale on consignment, accepting for auctioning or auctioning secondhand personal property. ... (a)Every dealer shall retain in his possession for a period of thirty (30) days after acquisition by him all secondhand personal property prior to any sale or disposal.(b)The thirty day holding period shall commence with the date that the "buy form" report of its acquisition is filed with the Chief of Police by the dealer. ... Any person violating the provisions of this Chapter shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be fined in an amount not to exceed Five Hundred Dollars ($500) or by imprisonment for a period of not more than six (6) months in the County Jail or by both such fine and imprisonment.
Full Breakdown
The City Council adopted Chapter 10.95 in 1981 after finding that secondhand businesses can become ready outlets for stolen property. Section 10.95.030 defines a secondhand dealer broadly to include anyone buying, selling, trading, taking in pawn, or accepting property for consignment or auction, and treats anyone owning ten percent or more of a corporate dealer's stock as a dealer who must be named on the license application. Section 10.95.040 routes licensing through the general business license procedure in Title 6, Chapter 6.05, with no extra fee for the secondhand endorsement.
Section 10.95.050 requires every dealer to file a completed 'buy form' with the Chief of Police at the end of each business day, recording the seller's name, address, and description, the vehicle used to deliver the goods, and a description of each item including serial numbers or maker's marks; a copy stays on file at the dealer's place of business for thirty days, while the Chief of Police keeps the department's copies for two years. Section 10.95.070 then requires every dealer to hold acquired property for thirty days from the date the buy form is filed before selling or disposing of it, though the Chief of Police can authorize earlier release for good cause.
Section 10.95.080 bars cleaning, altering, or repainting held property during that window, and Section 10.95.110 bars exporting held goods from San Diego County until police release them. Licensed vehicle dealers, trade-in transactions, and qualifying charities are exempted under Section 10.95.120.
Violations & Fines
Any violation of Chapter 10.95, including failing to file a daily buy form or selling property before the thirty-day hold expires, is a misdemeanor under Section 10.95.130, punishable by a fine of up to $500, imprisonment in county jail for up to six months, or both.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do pawn shops in La Mesa need a special license?
How long must a La Mesa secondhand dealer hold merchandise before reselling?
What records must a secondhand dealer in La Mesa keep?
Are car dealers covered by La Mesa's secondhand dealer ordinance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in La Mesa
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