North Charleston, SC Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- License
- Annual business license required
- Barrier height
- At least eight feet tall
- Barrier type
- Opaque trees, shrubbery, or fencing
- Vehicles
- Inoperable vehicles over 72 hours count
- Citation
- City Code § 9-71.1
Summary
North Charleston requires anyone operating a salvage or junk business in the city to obtain an annual business license and screen the operation from view behind an eight-foot opaque barrier.
No person, firm or corporation shall engage in or operate any business defined herein as a salvage or junk business in the city without having first procured the proper annual business license therefor from the city. No salvage or junk business may be operated within the city limits unless the materials as herein defined as salvage or junk are entirely enclosed by an opaque barrier of trees, shrubbery, fence or all in combination so as not to be visible from adjacent public right-of-way or lands both public and private.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 75).
Full Breakdown
Section 9-71.1 defines a salvage or junk business as any premises where waste, discarded, or salvaged materials, including inoperable or dismantled vehicles kept more than 72 hours, are bought, sold, stored, or otherwise handled for profit. No such business may operate in the city without first obtaining the proper annual business license, and the materials must be entirely screened from adjacent public and private view by an opaque barrier of trees, shrubbery, or fencing at least eight feet high, kept locked when unstaffed. Operating without a license or barrier, or letting the site become a nuisance, violates the section.
Violations & Fines
Operating a salvage or junk business without the required annual license, or without the eight-foot opaque screening barrier, violates Section 9-71.1 and can be treated as a public nuisance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do junk dealers need a city license in North Charleston?
Does a junkyard have to be screened from view?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in North Charleston
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Secondhand Dealers in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Charleston County handle secondhand dealers.