Miami, FL Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- Secondhand dealer BTR
- $320/year
- Police inspection fee (non-antique)
- $250/year
- Antique dealer inspection fee
- $100/year
- Per transaction form fee
- $1.50 each
- Enforced by
- Police pawn shop detail
Summary
Miami requires a $320 Business Tax Receipt for secondhand dealers plus a separate $250 yearly police inspection fee and $1.50 per transaction form filed with the police department's pawn shop detail.
Each pawn shop/secondhand dealer, except antique dealers (secondhand dealers who sell works of art, furniture, decorative objects, and other items having special value because of its age), conducting business within the City of Miami shall pay a yearly fee of $250.00 for police inspections of pawn shops/secondhand dealers and other related functions by the police department's pawn shop detail. Antique dealers shall pay a yearly inspection fee of $100.00. In addition thereto, each pawn shop/secondhand dealer, including antique dealers, will pay a $1.50 fee per transaction form submitted to the police department for the review and processing of all forms submitted by the pawn shop detail. The finance department is hereby authorized, empowered and directed to establish the proper procedure for the handling of all monies collected. (Code 1967, § 43-8; Ord. No. 9013, § 1, 10-31-79; Ord. No. 10570, § 1, 4-13-89; Code 1980, § 42-8; Ord. No. 11425, § 2, 12-12-96; Ord. No. 11539, § 2, 9-9-97; Ord. No. 13676, § 2, 4-27-17)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 23 | Ordinance 11000 (Previous Zoning Code): Supplement 22 | Miami 21 (Zoning Code): ?).
Full Breakdown
Anyone buying, selling or trading secondhand goods in the City of Miami must hold a Business Tax Receipt under Code § 31-26, priced at $320 a year for automobile dealers, jewelry/precious-metals dealers, or general used-merchandise dealers (Code § 31-50, BTR codes 3270-3290). On top of the BTR, Code § 42-6(h) layers on a distinct regulatory fee: every pawn shop and secondhand dealer, except antique dealers, pays the police department $250 a year to cover pawn-shop-detail inspections, antique dealers pay a reduced $100 a year, and every dealer pays an additional $1.50 for each transaction form the pawn shop detail reviews and processes.
Violations & Fines
Operating without a current BTR is a misdemeanor under Code § 31-26, punishable under § 1-13, with each day of noncompliance a separate offense; failing to pay the police inspection or per-transaction-form fees under § 42-6(h) is grounds for BTR suspension or nonrenewal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do antique dealers pay the same fee as other secondhand dealers?
What happens if I buy and sell used goods without a BTR?
Is the police inspection fee instead of the business license fee?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Miami
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Secondhand Dealers in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Miami-Dade County handle secondhand dealers.