Miami-Dade County, FL Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- Enforcing agency
- Miami-Dade Police Department
- Record retention
- 5 years, open to inspection
- Cash purchase limit
- Checks required over $1,000
- Applies in
- Incorporated and unincorporated Miami-Dade
- First-offense fine
- Up to $500 or 60 days
Summary
Junk dealers and scrap metal processors must pay a county business tax, keep detailed purchase records, and complete Miami-Dade Police Department training before the county will issue or renew their permit.
This ordinance shall apply to and be enforced in both the incorporated areas and unincorporated areas of Miami-Dade County. ... Every junk dealer and scrap metal processor shall receive training from the Miami-Dade Police Department on the requirements of the Junk Dealers and Scrap Metal Processors Ordinance ... No permit under Section 15-17 of this Code shall be issued or renewed to a junk dealer or scrap metal processor without providing a certificate of completion of training.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 135).
Full Breakdown
Miami-Dade's Junk Dealers and Scrap Metal Processors Ordinance (Code § 8A-9 et seq.) regulates junk dealers and secondary metals recyclers as a licensed trade, not ordinary retail. Operators owe a local business tax receipt under § 8A-203, must log every purchase, seller ID, thumbprint, photo, vehicle description, for five years under § 8A-9.2, and must limit or bar cash payment for regulated and restricted metals under § 8A-9.3. Every dealer and processor must also complete Miami-Dade Police Department training on the ordinance before the county will issue or renew a permit. The ordinance binds both the incorporated and unincorporated areas, reaching all 34 municipalities and UMSA.
Violations & Fines
First offenses risk up to a $500 criminal fine or 60 days in jail; repeat violations of the recordkeeping and cash-transaction rules rise to $1,000 or six months, plus a separate $1,000 Chapter 8CC code-enforcement fine per violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do junk dealers need a county license in Miami-Dade?
Does the county ordinance apply inside cities like Miami or Hialeah?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Miami-Dade County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Miami-Dade County to another location·View the Florida business licensing & operations overview
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