Providence, RI Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- License
- $100 annual license, Board of Licenses
- Application fee
- $100 plus advertising costs
- Renewal
- Expires every May 1
- Metal holding period
- 10 days for select items
- First-offense fine
- $125 civil penalty
Summary
Providence requires a $100 annual license from the Board of Licenses to buy, sell, barter, or deal in junk, old metals, or secondhand articles, with mandatory seller ID checks and transaction records.
No person shall engage in the business of purchasing, selling, bartering or dealing in junk, old metals or secondhand articles, or of receiving the same for the purpose of melting the same or of converting the same into castings, unless such person shall be duly licensed by the board of licenses.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 7).
Full Breakdown
Under § 14-127, no one may purchase, sell, barter, or deal in junk, old metals, or secondhand articles -- or receive them for melting into castings -- without a Board of Licenses permit. Applicants pay a $100 application fee plus advertising and posting costs, and submit personal identifying information and a radius map of property owners within 200 feet. The annual license fee is $100 ($5 for metal-melting operations only), expires every May 1, and the license must be displayed at the business. Licensees must check every seller's photo ID, log each transaction, and hold specified metal items -- statues, downspouts, cemetery markers, beer kegs -- for 10 days before resale.
Violations & Fines
Violations go to a board of licenses show-cause hearing: civil fines of $125 for a first offense, $250 for a second, and $500 for any subsequent offense, plus possible license suspension or revocation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a secondhand or junk business operate out of a home?
How long must dealers keep transaction records?
Do sellers need to show ID?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Providence
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Secondhand Dealers in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle secondhand dealers.