Redwood City, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- Licensing authority
- Redwood City Council
- Also requires
- Police Department wrecking permit (§ 7.3)
- Hearing notice
- Published at least 2 weeks before hearing
- Complaint hearing wait
- At least 5 days after service
- Council power
- Suspend or revoke license after hearing
- License fee reference
- Set under City Code § 17.23
Summary
Redwood City requires anyone wrecking, salvaging or dealing in secondhand automobile parts to get a permit and license from the City Council. The Council holds a noticed public hearing on every application and can suspend or revoke the license after a hearing on a complaint.
It is hereby declared unlawful for any person within the City to engage in the business of wrecking or taking apart any automobile for the purpose of salvaging all or any part thereof or for the purpose of selling all or any part thereof without first securing a permit and license so to do from the City Council.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Zoning Code: Supplement 29 | City Code: Supplement 61 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 7 governs auto wreckers and dealers in secondhand auto parts. 1 makes it unlawful to conduct the wrecking, salvaging or parts-selling business in a noisy, dirty or unclean manner, or to use any public street to conduct the business or store vehicles or parts awaiting wrecking. 2 separately bars operating the business as a public nuisance or in a way that interferes with or inconveniences adjoining property owners or businesses. 7 the applicant's name and the intended business location. 9 requires the City Clerk to post a copy of that notice on the business property at least five days before the hearing.
10 leaves the grant or denial of the permit to the Council's discretion. 11 requires the Council to notify the holder in writing and serve the complaint along with a hearing date, with the hearing barred from occurring until at least five days after service. 12 authorizes the Council to subpoena witnesses, take testimony, and suspend or revoke the license if circumstances warrant; operating the business after suspension or revocation is separately declared unlawful. 23 of the City Code.
Violations & Fines
Conducting the wrecking, salvaging or secondhand auto parts business without the required City Council permit and license, or continuing to operate after the Council suspends or revokes the license under Section 7.12, is declared unlawful. Because Chapter 7 does not set its own fine, the City Code's general penalty in Section 1.7A applies: up to a $1,000 fine, up to six months imprisonment, or both, with each day of unlicensed operation chargeable as a separate violation under Section 1.7C.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a City permit to sell secondhand auto parts in Redwood City?
How does the City Council decide whether to grant the license?
Can the City revoke my secondhand auto parts license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Redwood City
California rules heatmap·Compare Redwood City to another location·View the California business licensing & operations overview
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