Pico Rivera, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- Covered businesses
- Secondhand dealers, auctioneers, junk dealers, swap meet operators
- Daily reporting
- Buy-form mailed to law enforcement agency each day
- Holding period
- 14-day hold before resale, alteration, or destruction
- Hold order
- Up to 90 days on suspected stolen property
- Record retention
- Carbon copies kept at least 2 years
Summary
In the City of Pico Rivera, secondhand dealers, auctioneers, junk dealers, and swap meet operators are all subject to Article II of Municipal Code Chapter 5.64 under Section 5.64.030. Each must mail a daily buy-form report to the law enforcement agency, collect positive identification from every seller, and hold acquired goods for fourteen days before cleaning, altering, or reselling them under Sections 5.64.040 and 5.64.050.
In addition to other provisions of this title, secondhand dealers, auctioneers, junk dealers, pawnbrokers and operations of every swap meet shall be subject to the provisions set out in Article II of this chapter, and none of the foregoing shall violate the same. ... Each of the persons mentioned in Section 5.64.030 shall, at the close of each day, mail to the law enforcement agency of the city the "buy-form" or other form as required by the law enforcement agency, for the purpose of recording and furnishing by such person to the law enforcement agency required information relative to purchases, pledges or consignments. ... Secondhand dealers, auctioneers, junk dealers, pawnbrokers and owners and operators of swap meets shall not melt, destroy, sell or otherwise dispose of any article, goods, wares, merchandise or thing obtained or used in the business, where a report of the acquisition of the same has been required, until fourteen days after making a report to the law enforcement agency as hereinbefore required.
Full Breakdown
Section 5.64.030 places secondhand dealers, auctioneers, junk dealers, pawnbrokers, and swap meet operators under Article II of Chapter 5.64 and bars each from violating its terms. Section 5.64.040 requires each of these businesses to mail the law enforcement agency a completed buy-form at the close of every day, listing goods received on deposit, pledge, or purchase, and to record the seller's driver's license number, work badge number, vehicle license number, or a fingerprint impression along with the seller's true name and address; the licensee must keep a carbon copy of each form for at least two years.
Section 5.64.050 then bars melting, destroying, selling, or otherwise disposing of any reported item, or cleaning, altering, repairing, or repainting it, until fourteen days after the report reaches the law enforcement agency. Section 5.64.060 lets the agency place a hold order of up to ninety days on any item it reasonably believes is stolen, and Section 5.64.070 exempts property already bought from a licensed dealer in the city, property bought on invoice from a business established more than two years, and specified junk categories such as rags, bottles, and used household furniture. Section 5.64.080 extends every one of these Article II duties to antique dealers, stamp dealers, and coin dealers operating in the city.
Violations & Fines
Failing to file the daily buy-form, skipping the seller identification step, or disposing of reported goods before the fourteen-day hold expires under Sections 5.64.040 and 5.64.050 violates this code. Under the citywide general penalty, Section 1.20.010, a violation is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a one thousand dollar fine, up to six months in jail, or both, or it may be reduced to an infraction with fines up to five hundred dollars for repeat violations within a year.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long must a Pico Rivera secondhand dealer hold purchased goods?
Do Pico Rivera secondhand dealers have to identify sellers?
Are any items exempt from Pico Rivera's secondhand dealer holding rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pico Rivera
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