Mendocino County, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- License issuer
- Mendocino County Sheriff
- State standard
- Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 21641
- Covers pawn activity
- Yes, per Sec. 6.04.030(j) definition
- Fee category
- Itinerant/Gambling/Junk/Recycling/Secondhand, Sec. 6.04.050(f)
- Also required
- Standard Tax Collector business license
Summary
Operating a secondhand business, including buying, selling, trading, or taking property in pawn, in unincorporated Mendocino County requires a Sheriff-issued Secondhand Dealer License under Code Section 6.04.080(g), granted under California Business and Professions Code Section 21641, on top of the county's regular business license.
SHERIFF'S OFFICE APPROVAL - SECONDHAND DEALER LICENSE. It shall be unlawful for any person to operate a secondhand business in the unincorporated territory of Mendocino County without possessing a valid Mendocino County Secondhand Dealer License issued by the Sheriff and without possessing or operating under a Mendocino County Business License issued by the Tax Collector. The Sheriff shall accept an application for and grant a Secondhand Dealer License to an applicant pursuant to the provisions of California Business and Professions Code Section 21641.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 75).
Full Breakdown
030(j) defines a "secondhand dealer" broadly: any person, partnership, firm, or corporation whose business includes buying, selling, trading, taking in pawn, accepting for sale on consignment, accepting for auctioning, or auctioning secondhand tangible personal property. 040. The application goes to the Sheriff, who is directed to grant a license "pursuant to the provisions of California Business and Professions Code Section 21641," the state statute governing pawnbroker and secondhand dealer permits statewide. 050(f), secondhand dealing is grouped with itinerant, gambling, junk, and recycling businesses into a single Itinerant/Gambling/Junk/Recycling/Secondhand Dealer license category, so the flat license fee the Board of Supervisors sets for that category applies.
Because the code's pawn language sits inside the secondhand dealer definition rather than a standalone pawnbroker chapter, any Mendocino County business that takes property in pawn is licensed and regulated as a secondhand dealer under this same section, not under a separate pawnshop ordinance. 070(f).
Violations & Fines
Operating a secondhand, pawn, consignment, or auction business in the unincorporated county without both a Sheriff-issued Secondhand Dealer License and a Tax Collector business license violates Sections 6.04.080(g) and 6.04.040. The Sheriff administers the license consistent with Business and Professions Code Section 21641, and unlicensed operation exposes a dealer to the county's general business-license enforcement, including the delinquency penalty under Section 6.04.070(d).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Mendocino County have a separate pawnbroker license?
Who issues the secondhand dealer license and under what standard?
Do I still need a regular business license if I have a secondhand dealer license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Mendocino County
California rules heatmap·Compare Mendocino County to another location·View the California business licensing & operations overview
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