Long Beach, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit issuing authority
- Chief of Police, within 60 days of application
- Applicant screening
- Fingerprinted and photographed at filing
- Resale hold
- 30 days minimum after purchase or receipt
- Daily reports
- Filed with police before 10:00 a.m. next day
- Minors
- No purchases or pledges from anyone under 18
- Inspection
- Premises open to police at all business hours
Summary
Secondhand dealers in Long Beach must hold a police-issued permit and cannot resell purchased or pawned goods for 30 days. Municipal Code § 5.64.010(C) defines the covered business as buying, selling, trading, consigning, or auctioning secondhand tangible personal property, and § 5.64.150(A) sets the 30-day resale hold.
C."Secondhand dealer" means any person, co-partnership, firm, or corporation engaged in or conducting the business of buying, selling, trading, taking in pawn, accepting for sale on consignment, accepting for auctioning, or auctioning secondhand tangible personal property. ... A.No pawnbroker or secondhand dealer shall sell or otherwise dispose of any article, goods or other thing within thirty (30) days after the purchase or receipt thereof.B.No pawnbroker or secondhand dealer shall sell or otherwise dispose of any article, goods or other thing within thirty (30) days of the date such articles are suspended from sale under the provisions of this Chapter unless sooner released by the Chief of Police.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 52 Update 1 | City Charter: Supplement 5).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 5.64 (Pawnbrokers and Secondhand Dealers) treats secondhand dealers as a distinct licensed category under § 5.64.010(C), covering any person, partnership, firm, or corporation buying, selling, trading, taking in pawn, consigning, or auctioning secondhand personal property. No one may engage in the business without a permit under § 5.64.020, obtained by written application to the Chief of Police that discloses the applicant's true and fictitious names, age, current and prior-twelve-month addresses, and requires fingerprinting and photographing at filing (§ 5.64.030(A)); the permit fee is set by City Council resolution and, once issued, renews annually without a new application if no revocation is pending (§ 5.64.050).
The Chief of Police can deny the application only for a previously revoked or suspended license in any jurisdiction or a penal record indicating a poor business risk (§ 5.64.030(B)). Once operating, a secondhand dealer must report every item purchased or taken in, with the seller's name, address, description, and price, to the Chief of Police before 10:00 a.m. the day after receipt (§ 5.64.070), and may not sell or otherwise dispose of any article within 30 days of purchase or receipt, or within 30 days of the article being suspended from sale, unless the Chief of Police releases it sooner (§ 5.64.150).
Goods may not be taken from anyone under 18 (§ 5.64.170), fictitious names may not be used in transactions (§ 5.64.070(C)), and the premises are subject to police inspection at all times they are open for business or being prepared for public sale (§ 5.64.120).
Violations & Fines
Conducting business as a secondhand dealer in Long Beach without the § 5.64.020 permit, failing to file the daily transaction reports required by § 5.64.070, reselling an item before the 30-day hold in § 5.64.150 expires, or accepting goods from a minor under § 5.64.170, are each independently prohibited acts under Chapter 5.64 and grounds for permit denial or revocation under § 5.64.030(B).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I resell an item at my Long Beach secondhand store the same day I buy it?
What does Long Beach require to open a secondhand store?
Do Long Beach secondhand dealers have to report what they buy?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Long Beach
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