Nashville, TN Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- Resale hold period
- 15 days before resale or exchange
- Register required
- Police-accessible log of every item
- Pawnbroker signage
- Requires a metropolitan pawnbroking license
- Max general penalty
- $50 per day per violation
- Exemption
- Used books at secondhand bookstores
Summary
Metro Nashville requires pawnbrokers, secondhand dealers, and junk dealers to hold every item purchased for 15 days before resale, keep a police-inspectable register of each transaction, and secure a pawnbroker license before displaying pawn-shop signage.
Pawnbrokers, secondhand dealers and junk dealers shall retain possession at their place of business, of all goods, wares or merchandise purchased by them for a period of fifteen days before a resale or exchange thereof; provided, that a resale or exchange may be allowed to be made before the expiration of the fifteen-day period upon obtaining a written permit from the chief of police. This section shall not apply to used books sold in secondhand bookstores.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 53 | Charter: Republication 9).
Full Breakdown
Under Metropolitan Code of Laws § 6.100.040, pawnbrokers, secondhand dealers and junk dealers must keep every purchased item, unaltered and separate from other stock, at their place of business for 15 days before reselling or exchanging it, unless the police chief issues written permission to sell sooner; used books sold in secondhand bookstores are exempt. Section 6.100.020 requires a police-accessible register describing each item and the seller's name, age, sex, color and residence, and § 6.100.010 bars anyone from displaying pawnshop-style signage without first obtaining a metropolitan pawnbroking license. The rules apply in the general services district, not inside the six satellite cities.
Violations & Fines
Reselling before the 15-day hold or skipping the register violates the Code; Metro's general penalty caps each offense at $50, and every day a violation continues is a separate offense (§ 1.01.030).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I resell an item before the 15-day hold ends in Nashville?
Does Nashville's secondhand dealer register requirement apply everywhere in Davidson County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Nashville
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