Norfolk, VA Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)

4 makes it unlawful to engage in the business of purchasing or acquiring secondhand furniture, appliances, and similar articles in Norfolk, or to canvass for such purchases, without first obtaining a permit from the chief of police or designee. The permit is denied to anyone convicted of a felony or crime of moral turpitude within the past seven years, or to anyone previously denied or revoked under a similar ordinance elsewhere. It runs for one year, is renewable the same way it was obtained, is non-transferable, and carries an annual fee of one hundred dollars.

5 requires the applicant to submit a form with corporate and employee information, pay a fee of one hundred dollars plus twenty-five dollars per employee to the Norfolk Police Department's central records division, and have the business inspected and approved by the chief of police before the permit issues; the fixed business location stated in the application is the only place the dealer may operate. Before a permit is issued, Sec. 8 requires the applicant to post a ten-thousand-dollar surety bond in the city's favor, or a bank letter of credit in the same amount, conditioned on full compliance with the article; anyone injured by the dealer's violation may proceed against the bond or its surety.

A false statement on the application voids the application or any permit obtained under it (Sec. 6), and no permit may be transferred to another person or location (Sec. 7). Secondhand dealers must also keep daily acquisition records and report to the chief of police daily under Sec. 38-3 and Sec. 38-4, and admit police to inspect those records under Sec. 38-6.