Modesto, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- Licensing authority
- Modesto Chief of Police
- Mandatory hold period
- 30 days from reported acquisition
- Reporting deadline
- Daily, or next working day
- License renewal
- Annually from date of issue
- Disqualifying conviction
- Attempted or actual receipt of stolen property
- State law overlay
- Bus. & Prof. Code §21625 et seq.
Summary
Modesto requires anyone buying, selling, or trading secondhand jewelry and precious metals to get a Police Chief license, report every transaction daily, and hold each item untouched for 30 days. The license can be forfeited for a stolen-property conviction or for dealing with minors or intoxicated sellers under Modesto Code of Ordinances § 6-5.01.
It shall be unlawful for any person either as principal, agent, servant or employee to engage in, carry on, operate, manage or conduct within the City of Modesto the business of secondhand jewelry dealer unless such person or the principal or employer of such agent, servant or employee shall first have procured a license to do so as herein specified.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 71).
Full Breakdown
03. 02 applies only to dealers already required to report secondhand jewelry transactions to police under Business and Professions Code Section 21625 et seq. 04, and licenses renew annually. 05 lists forfeiture grounds: operating outside the licensed building, failing to display the license conspicuously, dealing with a minor or an intoxicated or drug-impaired person, violating any provision of the chapter, or a stolen-property conviction. 06. 07 requires each item to carry a tag referencing the licensee's records and makes all reports, records, and goods available for police inspection during normal business hours.
08 imposes a mandatory 30-day retention period on every reported item, running from the date the acquisition was reported, though the Chief of Police may authorize earlier disposition for good cause if the licensee then reports the sale.
Violations & Fines
Breaching any condition of Section 6-5.05, including failing to display the license, transacting with a minor or an intoxicated seller, or a stolen-property conviction, exposes the licensee to forfeiture of the license. Because the license is issued and enforced by the Police Department rather than the Finance Director, noncompliance with the daily reporting duty under Section 6-5.06 or the inspection-access duty under Section 6-5.07 gives the Chief of Police direct grounds to act against the licensee's operating authority, independent of the City's general business-license misrepresentation penalty under Section 6-1.131.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long must a Modesto secondhand jewelry dealer hold an item before reselling it?
What must a secondhand jewelry dealer report to Modesto police?
Can Modesto deny a secondhand jewelry dealer license for a criminal record?
Does this license cover general secondhand stores, not just jewelry?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Modesto
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