Orange, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)

58 defines a used merchandise dealer as anyone who buys, sells, trades, or accepts secondhand property on consignment, excluding secondhand or new car dealers and sellers of perishable food. Like pawnbrokers, dealers must obtain a permit from the Business Services Coordinator after a Chief of Police background investigation, and must report all acquired secondhand property to the Chief of Police by 12:00 noon the day following acquisition. Nine categories of goods are excused from that report, including property bought from another already-reporting dealer with a written statement, bulk acquisitions from a liquidating business, court-ordered or bankruptcy-trustee sales, government surplus never resold at retail, and goods accepted as trade-in credit toward new merchandise where no cash changes hands.

All required reports and records must be kept in English, made available daily to police inspection, and retained for three years where an exemption statement is used. Dealers may not buy, trade or accept consignment goods from anyone under 18 without written, penalty-of-perjury parental or guardian permission attached to the report. The City Council sets the permit fee by resolution.