Lakewood, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- Annual license tax
- $170 for Second Hand Dealers (Sec. 6527.2.G.18)
- Comparison
- Pawnbrokers pay $335, recycling centers pay $200
- C-4 zone
- Requires conditional use permit (Sec. 9350(B)(6))
- M-1 zone
- Separately permitted use (Sec. 9360(B)(28))
- Excluded use
- Second-hand store definition excludes salvage yards
Summary
Anyone operating as a secondhand dealer in Lakewood must hold a City business license and pay an annual business tax of $170, listed separately from pawnbrokers, auto wreckers, and other recyclers under Municipal Code Section 6527.2(G)(18). In the C-4 zone, a second-hand store additionally needs a conditional use permit under Section 9350(B)(6), and it may not double as a salvage yard.
18. Recyclers, including auto wreckers, second hand dealers, recycling centers, materials recovery facilities, intermediate processors, scrap yards, salvage yards, metal and waste paper dealers, who purchase, receive, pick up vehicles, or recyclables for resale. Auto Wreckers $335.00a Second Hand Dealers $170.00a Recycling Centers $200.00 Materials Recovery Facilities $335.00 Intermediate Processors $335.00 Scrap Yards $335.00 Salvage Yards $335.00 Metal Dealers $335.00
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4901715; v5 updated 2026-04-28; through 04-28-2026).
Full Breakdown
18 places 'Second Hand Dealers' in the same business-tax category as recyclers, auto wreckers, recycling centers, materials recovery facilities, intermediate processors, scrap yards, salvage yards, and metal and waste paper dealers who purchase, receive, or pick up vehicles or recyclables for resale, and sets the annual tax specifically for Second Hand Dealers at $170, distinct from the $335 rate charged to auto wreckers, scrap yards, and salvage yards and the $200 rate for recycling centers. 18 to collect certain materials that would otherwise be off-limits to anyone besides the City and its contracted hauler.
On the zoning side, a second-hand store is a permitted use as a matter of course in several commercial zones, but in the C-4 Zone it may be established only with a conditional use permit under Section 9350(B)(6), and that permitted use specifically excludes operating as a salvage yard. In the M-1 Light Manufacturing Zone, a second-hand store is likewise a separately listed permitted use under Section 9360(B)(28), again excluding salvage yards. 1 as an establishment, including a pawn shop, engaged in whole or in part in loaning money on the security of pledges, deposits, or conditional sales of personal property, a definition the City amended in 2026 to also carve out 'thrift stores' selling only donated used clothing and household goods as a separate, non-second-hand-store use.
Violations & Fines
Operating as a Second Hand Dealer without the City business license and payment of the $170 annual tax required by Section 6527.2.G.18 violates the Municipal Code's business license requirements and is enforceable as a misdemeanor under Section 1200 or, at the City's election, as an infraction under Section 1205, each with fines up to the state maximum and up to six months in County jail for a misdemeanor. Operating a second-hand store in the C-4 Zone without the required conditional use permit is a separate zoning violation subject to the same general penalty provisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is a secondhand dealer business license in Lakewood?
Can I open a second-hand store anywhere in Lakewood?
Is a secondhand store the same as a pawn shop in Lakewood's code?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lakewood
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