Multnomah County, OR Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- Issuing agency
- Multnomah County Sheriff's Office
- Occasional-dealer threshold
- up to 50 items/year
- Full-dealer threshold
- 51+ items in a year
- Permit term
- One year, nontransferable
- Review window
- 90 days from complete application
Summary
Multnomah County requires anyone buying or reselling used precious metals, electronics, tools or other regulated secondhand goods within the county to hold a Sheriff-issued secondhand dealer or occasional dealer permit.
(A) No person shall engage in, conduct or carry on an occasional secondhand dealer business or a secondhand dealer business in the county without a valid occasional secondhand dealer permit or a valid secondhand dealer permit issued by the Sheriff.
(B) Upon purchasing 50 items of regulated property during any one-year period, an occasional secondhand dealer shall apply for and obtain a secondhand dealer permit before purchasing any more items of regulated property.
(C) Any person who advertises or otherwise holds themselves out to be purchasing regulated property within the county shall be presumed to be operating a business subject to the terms of this subchapter. Penalty, see § 15.999 (‘ 90 Code, § 6.81.030, 07/01/1998; Ord. 647, passed, 03/22/1990)
Full Breakdown
Multnomah County Code § 15.303 requires anyone buying used precious metals, jewelry, electronics, power tools, musical instruments, firearms or other regulated secondhand property within the county to hold a Sheriff-issued permit before operating. Occasional dealers who buy or sell up to 50 items a year get an occasional secondhand dealer permit; hitting 51 or more in a year requires the full secondhand dealer permit. The Sheriff investigates every applicant and must issue the permit within 90 days absent a denial ground: a prior revoked license, a public-nuisance finding, theft or fraud convictions, or a false application. Permits run one year, are nontransferable, and must be posted where customers can see them.
Violations & Fines
Operating without the required permit, or continuing after suspension or revocation, is a code violation punishable under § 15.999 by a fine up to the state Class A violation amount, with each day a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need this permit to buy a few used items?
Are pawnbrokers covered by this permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Multnomah County
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