Milwaukee, WI Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)

134.71 Pawnbrokers and secondhand article and jewelry dealers. (1) Definitions. In this section: (e) "Pawnbroker" means any person who engages in the business of lending money on the deposit or pledge of any article or jewelry, or purchasing any article or jewelry with an expressed or implied agreement or understanding to sell it back at a subsequent time at a stipulated price. (f) "Secondhand" means owned by any person, except a wholesaler, retailer or secondhand article dealer or secondhand jewelry dealer licensed under this section, immediately before the transaction at hand. (g) "Secondhand article dealer" means any person, other than an auctioneer, who primarily engages in the business of purchasing or selling secondhand articles, except when engaging in any of the following: 1. Any transaction at an occasional garage or yard sale, an estate sale, a gun, knife, gem or antique show or a convention. (h) "Secondhand jewelry dealer" means any person, other than an auctioneer, who engages in the business of any transaction consisting of purchasing, selling, receiving or exchanging secondhand jewelry, except for the following: 1. Any transaction at an occasional garage or yard sale, an estate sale, a gun, knife, gem or antique show or a convention. (2) License for pawnbroker. No person may operate as a pawnbroker unless the person first obtains a pawnbroker's license under this section. A license issued to a pawnbroker by the governing body of a municipality authorizes the licensee to operate as a pawnbroker in that municipality. (3) (a) Except as provided in par. (b), no person may operate as a secondhand article dealer unless the person first obtains a secondhand article dealer's license under this section. A license issued to a secondhand article dealer authorizes the licensee to operate as a secondhand article dealer anywhere in the state. (4) License for secondhand jewelry dealer. No person may operate as a secondhand jewelry dealer unless the person first obtains a secondhand jewelry dealer's license under this section. A license issued to a secondhand jewelry dealer authorizes the licensee to operate as a secondhand jewelry dealer anywhere in the state.