Thurston County, WA Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- Dealer license fee
- $50 per year
- Itinerant dealer fee
- $10 per year
- Licensing authority
- Thurston County auditor
- Storage enclosure
- Solid 8-foot fence required
- Acquisition records kept
- 1 year, sheriff-inspectable
- Violation classification
- Misdemeanor
Summary
Anyone buying, selling, trading or storing secondhand goods, antiques or junk in unincorporated Thurston County must hold an annual dealer license from the county auditor under Chapter 6.29. The license runs $50 a year for flea market, junk, secondhand and antique dealers, or $10 a year for itinerant dealers, and operating without one is a misdemeanor.
(a) It is unlawful for any person to act as a flea market, itinerant, junk, secondhand or antique dealer in Thurston County, whether personally or by agents or employees, singly or along with some other business or enterprise, without first having obtained a license therefor in accordance with the provisions of this chapter. (b) A person who operates more than one premises subject to the terms of this chapter shall have in effect a separate license for each premises. No license issued under this chapter shall be transferred or assigned or used by any person other than the one to whom it was issued, and no such license shall be used at any location other than the one described in the application for which it was issued.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 77).
Full Breakdown
29 defines a "secondhand or antique dealer" as anyone buying, selling, trading, bartering, auctioning or consigning secondhand or antique goods, including dealers in used auto parts and tires, but the definition carves out anyone selling only operational used vehicles or boats. A "junk dealer" separately covers yards that keep, dismantle or process scrap metal, rags, waste paper, bottles and stripped vehicles. 030), providing name, address, date of birth, driver's license or state ID number, Social Security number, physical description, a business site plan, and a description of the goods and operations involved.
050). 070). Every acquisition of junk, secondhand or antique goods must be logged in a permanent register kept on-site, listing the seller's name and address, a description of the item, and the transaction date, held available to the sheriff's department for at least one year. except in industrial zones. Flea market dealers must additionally record the identifying information of every vendor selling at their site.
Violations & Fines
Any violation of Chapter 6.29 is a misdemeanor under TCC 6.29.090. The Thurston County sheriff's department enforces the chapter and may enter licensed premises at any reasonable time to examine goods and inspection records (6.29.100(a)); the prosecuting attorney is separately authorized to seek legal or equitable relief, including injunctions, against ongoing violations (6.29.100(b)).
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a license to run a secondhand or antique shop in unincorporated Thurston County?
How much does the Thurston County secondhand dealer license cost?
What records must a secondhand or junk dealer keep?
Can the sheriff inspect a licensed dealer's premises without advance notice?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Thurston County
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