Sarasota County, FL Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)

Sarasota County Code § 26-120 requires every secondhand dealer to register each business location, temporary or permanent, with the Florida Department of Revenue before transacting in any goods, and to notify the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office when applying for a new location while displaying the license at that address. Dealers must also obtain an occupational license (local business tax receipt) for each location prior to opening, and a dealer may not transact from a residence unless that residence has first been licensed with the Department of Revenue.

Section 26-116 layers on daily paperwork: dealers must complete a Transaction Form for every deal, in the seller's presence, capturing the seller's photo ID, a photo of the seller's face, a photo of each item, a right thumbprint, and a signed ownership statement; originals stay on the registered premises for one year and copies for five years. the next business day the dealer is open. Section 26-119 imposes a 30-calendar-day hold on all secondhand goods, counted from the date the Sheriff's Office receives the transaction record, during which the dealer must keep physical possession of the item on the registered premises.

Section 26-121 caps cash payments at $100 per seller per day; anything above that must be paid by check made out to the seller. Section 26-118 gives law enforcement and code enforcement officers the right to inspect the premises, goods, and required records during normal business hours. The article, cited as the Sarasota County Secondhand Dealers Ordinance, applies countywide including incorporated cities absent a conflicting municipal ordinance, and exempts specific categories such as licensed video/game resellers using store credit and antique dealers registered for sales tax who buy at the owner's residence.