Palm Springs, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- License tax
- Set by rate table under Sec. 3.90.210(p)
- Daily reports
- Due to police before midnight, itemized by hour
- Holding period
- 30 days before resale, Sec. 5.44.020
- Permit
- Required from Chief of Police, Sec. 5.44.060
- Occasional trade-ins
- Retailers exempt from daily filing if infrequent
- Report language
- Must be written in English, clear and legible
Summary
Secondhand dealers in Palm Springs pay a business license tax under Section 3.84.350 and, like pawnbrokers, must file a daily report of every item bought or taken on deposit with the Chief of Police under Chapter 5.44. Purchased goods must be held intact for 30 days before resale, and dealers must record the true name and address of every seller.
For every dealer in secondhand goods, wares or merchandise not otherwise specifically mentioned in Chapters 3.40 through 3.96, the tax per year shall be at the rate set forth in Section 3.90.210(p). ... Every secondhand dealer, pawnbroker, loan broker, and every proprietor, keeper or owner of any office or other place of business where money is loaned on personal property for compensation, shall daily make out and deliver to the chief of police every day before the hour of twelve midnight ... a full, true and complete report of all property and other valuable goods, wares, merchandise or things received on deposit or purchased during the preceding twenty-four consecutive hours. ... All the property and other valuable goods, wares, merchandise and things received on deposit or purchase as prescribed in Section 5.44.010 shall be kept intact in its original state by every person receiving the same as stated, for a period of thirty calendar days from the said purchase, receipt or acquisition of the same, ... and any such item shall be exhibited to the chief of police or his representative, or to any other peace officer, upon demand.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4923139; v14 updated 2026-06-24).
Full Breakdown
210(p). 010 requires a full, true and complete daily report to the Chief of Police, delivered before midnight, of all property received on deposit or purchased in the preceding 24 hours, on a state-approved form written clearly in English, listing the hour each item was received and the seller's description, true name and address as far as known. The same section extends the reporting duty to retailers primarily selling new merchandise who occasionally take secondhand goods in trade, such as vehicles, but excuses them from daily filing where such trades aren't a daily occurrence.
020 requires everything received on deposit or purchase to be kept intact in its original state for 30 calendar days from acquisition, unless the Chief of Police releases it sooner, and it must be shown to police on demand during that period. 040 requires the dealer to demand identification from the seller and, as best they can, obtain a signed true name and correct address. 060 requires a Chief of Police permit, on top of the business license tax, before any secondhand dealer can operate.
Violations & Fines
A secondhand dealer who fails to file the daily report Section 5.44.010 requires, sells or disposes of an item before the 30-day holding period in Section 5.44.020 expires without the Chief of Police's earlier release, or opens without the Chapter 5.44 permit is in violation of the chapter. Falsifying a customer's name or address on a report is separately unlawful under Section 5.44.050, and any Chapter 5.44 violation is punishable under the city's general penalty provisions in Chapters 1.01 and 3.64 per Section 3.76.010.
Frequently Asked Questions
What must a Palm Springs secondhand dealer report to police each day?
Does a retailer who occasionally takes secondhand items in trade need to file daily reports?
How long must a Palm Springs secondhand dealer keep purchased goods before reselling?
Is a business license enough to operate as a secondhand dealer in Palm Springs?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Palm Springs
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