St. Joseph County, IN Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)

01 defines anyone who keeps or maintains a business for selling secondhand clothing, furniture, goods, wares or merchandise of any kind as "operating a secondhand store," and bars operating one without a license. The applicant files with the county auditor, stating name, address and phone number for both the applicant and the store plus the types of materials to be sold; the auditor then refers the application to the county sheriff for review and a recommendation to the county council, which holds final approval. The annual license fee, set in the county's schedule of fines and fees, is paid to the auditor only once the sheriff signs off and the license issues.

Recordkeeping is detailed: every dealer must keep a bound, consecutively numbered ledger in permanent ink recording a description of each item bought, the date and time received, any distinguishing marks, and the name, address and Social Security number of both the seller and any buyer of secondhand goods. County or state police can inspect the licensed premises and the ledger during ordinary business hours, and the dealer must additionally present the books to the sheriff for copying every week on a day the sheriff sets.

Every item purchased, other than clothing, must sit unsold for 14 days before resale or disposal, and no dealer may buy from anyone under 18. Not-for-profit and charitable organizations are exempt from licensing, as are businesses that sell used goods purely on consignment. 02 lets the auditor issue a seven-day warning notice before a citation for an unlicensed or non-compliant operation, or go straight to a citation carrying a scheduled fine, with every additional day of violation treated as a separate offense.