Orem, UT Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)

Orem City Code section 12-5-5 (Retention of property for thirty days) bars any pawnbroker or dealer from selling or otherwise disposing of pawned, secondhand, junk, or antique property, or precious metal, for thirty days from the date it was received. 00 or less can move sooner; and an item can also move sooner if the dealer collects the same identifying information from the new buyer that Section 12-5-5 requires from the original seller. Critically, the code carves those last two exceptions back out for a defined list of goods: guns, jewelry, electronic equipment such as televisions, VCRs, microwaves, radios, stereos, cassette recorders, and CD players, tools, and numismatic coins must always be held the full thirty days regardless of purchase price, unless the Police Department grants written early release or the item was pawned and is being returned to the pledgor.

If a police officer shows probable cause that an item was stolen or did not belong to the seller, the dealer must release it to the Police Department, which holds it as evidence until the matter is resolved or a court orders its return.