Broward County, FL Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- Holding period
- 30 working days before resale
- ID required
- Government-issued photo ID recorded
- Exempt items
- Media, instruments, games, electronics under $250
- State law adopted
- F.S. Chapter 538, Part I
- Enforcement
- Sheriff or municipal police
Summary
Broward County adopts Florida's secondhand dealer law countywide and adds stricter local rules: a 30-working-day resale holding period and mandatory buyer ID recording, enforced against dealers in both unincorporated areas and municipalities.
A secondhand dealer shall not sell, barter, exchange, alter, adulterate, or in any way dispose of any secondhand goods within thirty (30) working days of the date of acquisition of the goods. Such holding periods are not applicable when the person known by the secondhand dealer to be the person from whom the goods were acquired desires to redeem, repurchase, or recover the goods, provided the dealer can produce the record of the original transaction with verification that the customer is the person from whom the goods were originally acquired, and provided that upon redemption the dealer's record reflects the signature and original right thumbprint of the redeemer, and the date and time of the redemption.
(Ord. No. 89-53, § 1, 12-12-89)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 72 | Administrative Code: Supplement 28).
Full Breakdown
Broward County Code § 20-123 adopts Florida Statutes Chapter 538, Part I (secondhand dealers) countywide, then layers on stricter local requirements in §§ 20-124 through 20-126. Section 20-124 bars a secondhand dealer from selling, bartering, exchanging, or otherwise disposing of secondhand goods within 30 working days of acquiring them, except when the original seller redeems the item with a signed, thumbprinted record. Section 20-125 requires dealers to record every disposition, verify the buyer's government-issued photo ID, and make the sales receipt available to the Broward Sheriff's Office or the local municipal police. Media, musical instruments, video games and consoles, and electronics purchased for under $250 are exempted under § 20-126.
Violations & Fines
The Broward Sheriff's Office or municipal police enforce the holding-period and recordkeeping rules as code violations; § 20-123 layers these county requirements atop F.S. § 538.03 et seq., whose own criminal penalties also apply to noncompliant dealers.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long must a Broward secondhand dealer hold goods before resale?
Does this rule reach dealers inside Fort Lauderdale or Hollywood?
What items are exempt from Broward's secondhand dealer rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Broward County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Broward County to another location·View the Florida business licensing & operations overview
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