Rancho Cordova, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)

RCMC § 4.30.010 defines a 'secondhand dealer' as a person conducting the business of buying, selling or otherwise dealing in secondhand goods, furniture, wares, coins or merchandise, and § 4.30.005 makes it unlawful to run that business without a special business license under Chapter 4.10 and Chapter 4.30. The chief of police cannot deny the license under the general grounds in RCMC § 4.10.040(C) unless a listed applicant was actually convicted of an offense described by Business and Professions Code § 21641, and the same standard governs revocation.

Every secondhand dealer must, by 10:00 a.m. each Saturday, mail the chief of police a complete report of all goods received on deposit, pledged, or purchased that week, per RCMC § 4.30.020, and § 4.30.025 spells out the required contents, including a physical description of the seller. RCMC § 4.30.030 requires a parallel permanent record open to inspection by police, and § 4.30.040 requires both the report and the record to be kept in English. A secondhand dealer cannot resell or dispose of reported merchandise within one week of filing the report, per § 4.30.045, unless the item is a motor vehicle cleared through the DMV.

Under § 4.30.055, a dealer cannot buy from someone who appears intoxicated or from a minor without signed parental consent, and § 4.30.065 bars transactions between midnight Saturday and 7:00 a.m. Monday, or 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. any other night. RCMC § 4.30.090 requires immediate telephone notice to police of any property a dealer knows or should know is stolen.