Baltimore County, MD Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)

Under County Code Title 21, a person may not do business as a junk dealer or scrap metal processor without first obtaining a license from the Director (§21-21-103(a)); dealers also remain subject to Title 17 of the state Business Regulation Article. The license term is five years, with the fee due on application or renewal, and the county cannot refund the application fee even if the license is denied (§21-21-104). Applications go through the Department on a Director-issued form and must include a notarized statement, signed under penalty of perjury by every listed individual, officer, or partner (§21-21-105).

Anyone under 18 is barred from holding a license, and any mid-term change to application information must be reported within 30 days. Corporate or partnership applicants must disclose each associate, partner, officer, or director, plus organizational documents, government ID, and both business and off-site storage location details, including landlord acknowledgment where the dealer does not own the premises (§21-21-106). The Director can deny an application if the information is incorrect or the premises fails health, zoning, fire, or building code standards (§21-21-107), and a license cannot be transferred between persons, though the Director must be notified in writing before a licensee relocates the business or any storage site (§21-21-108).

Dealers must keep an English-language transaction record and electronically file a daily transaction report with the Police Department (§21-21-110), and the Police Department may issue written hold notices and inspect the premises (§21-21-111).