St. Louis County, MO Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- Covered businesses
- Junk, auto parts, scrap, secondhand dealers
- Record required
- Seller ID, item description, date, serial no.
- Retention period
- 3 years from date of purchase
- Grave items
- Purchase needs family or cemetery authorization
- Maximum penalty
- $500 fine and/or 30 days jail
Summary
St. Louis County requires every junk dealer, scrap-metal processor, auto parts dealer and person dealing in secondhand goods in the unincorporated county to log each purchase, per Code §719.025: the seller's name, address, signature and driver's license number, a description and quantity of the goods, the date, and the item's serial or vehicle identification number. Records must be kept three years and are open to police inspection at any time.
(10)Person dealing in secondhand goods—Every person who engages in the business of buying or selling metals of any kind. ... Every auto parts dealer, junk dealer, scrap-metal processor, person dealing in secondhand goods, or foundry shall keep a record of purchases of all auto parts and metals as defined herein, which record shall contain: (a)The name and address of each person from whom the auto parts or metals are purchased, including the signature of the person selling the same, together with said person's driver's license number; ... (e)The Serial Number of the part of Vehicle Identification Number, where applicable.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 85 | Traffic: Supplement 80).
Full Breakdown
015). 020), distinct from a junk dealer, who buys or sells old or scrap metals, an auto parts dealer, a scrap-metal processor, or a foundry. 025 requires a written record of every purchase of auto parts or metals covered by the chapter, listing the seller's name and address with signature, the seller's driver's license number, a general description and quantity of what was bought, the purchase date, and the part's serial number or the vehicle identification number where one applies. Those records must be preserved for three years from the date of purchase and are subject at all times to inspection by any St.
025). 030 bars anyone from buying a grave marker or memorial object, or any part of one, unless the seller is an authorized representative of the deceased person's family or of the cemetery where it is placed, closing off a market for stolen cemetery items. 035).
Violations & Fines
Failing to keep the required purchase record, or buying a grave ornament without authorization from the family or cemetery, is punishable under §719.040 by a fine of up to $500, up to 30 days in a County correctional facility, or both, with each transaction capable of supporting a separate charge. The Superintendent of Police can inspect a dealer's premises and records at any time during business hours to check compliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do secondhand dealers in St. Louis County have to keep purchase records?
Who counts as a person dealing in secondhand goods under the county code?
Can I buy a used gravestone or memorial item from a stranger?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in St. Louis County
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