Miami Beach, FL Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- Registering agency
- Florida Department of Revenue
- Registration fee
- $6 per store location
- Renewal fee
- $6 per location, due October 1
- Civil fine
- Up to $10,000 per violation
- City ordinance
- Sec. 18-761 adopts Fla. Stat. ch. 538, Part I
Summary
Miami Beach requires secondhand and junk dealers to register with the Florida Department of Revenue instead of obtaining a separate city license. City Code Sec. 18-761 adopts Fla. Stat. ch. 538, Part I, in full, so state registration fees, fingerprinting and civil fines govern secondhand goods dealers citywide.
538.09 Registration.—(1) A secondhand dealer shall not engage in the business of purchasing, consigning, or trading secondhand goods from any location without registering with the Department of Revenue. A fee equal to the federal and state costs for processing required fingerprints must be submitted to the department with each application for registration... If a secondhand dealer is the owner of more than one secondhand store location, the application must list each location, and the department shall issue a duplicate registration for each location... A dealer shall pay a fee of $6 per location at the time of registration and an annual renewal fee of $6 per location on October 1 of each year... (4) The department may impose a civil fine of up to $10,000 for each violation of this section, which fine shall be transferred into the General Revenue Fund. If the fine is not paid within 60 days, the department may bring a civil action under s. 120.69 to recover the fine.
Full Breakdown
Miami Beach repealed its own secondhand dealer chapter in 2013. Ordinance No. 2013-3791, adopted February 6, 2013, deleted the former Division 4 of Chapter 18, Article XII (old Secs. 18-761 to 18-800) and replaced it with Sec. 18-761, a one-line adoption of Fla. ch. 17. That statute, not a city licensing board, controls who may buy, consign or trade secondhand goods in the city. Under Fla. 09(1), a secondhand dealer may not do business at any location without registering with the Florida Department of Revenue, and a separate application, resulting in a duplicate registration, is required for every store location a dealer operates.
Registration carries a $6 fee per location, repeated as a $6 annual renewal fee per location due every October 1, on top of the state and federal fingerprint-processing costs charged with the application. 09(4), and if that fine goes unpaid for 60 days the department can sue to collect it under Fla. 09(5). Because Miami Beach folded its ordinance into the state act, a secondhand shop still needs the city's general business tax receipt under Sec. 18-1 to operate at all, but its registration file sits with the Department of Revenue, not a city-issued secondhand dealer permit.
Violations & Fines
A secondhand dealer operating in Miami Beach without a current Florida Department of Revenue registration faces a civil fine of up to $10,000 per violation under Fla. Stat. § 538.09(4), collectible through a civil suit if unpaid after 60 days, and the department can deny, restrict, suspend or revoke the registration itself under § 538.09(5). The city separately requires the general business tax receipt under Sec. 18-1.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Miami Beach license secondhand and junk dealers itself?
How much does secondhand dealer registration cost?
What penalty applies for operating without registering?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Miami Beach
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Miami Beach to another location·View the Florida business licensing & operations overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Secondhand Dealers in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Miami-Dade County handle secondhand dealers.