Skokie, IL Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)

The Village of Skokie, Cook County, licenses dealers in scrap, discarded or used materials under Chapter 26, Article XXVI of the Skokie Village Code, exercising authority granted by 65 ILCS 5/11-42-3. Section 26-1271 makes it unlawful to set up or keep any place where scrap, discarded or used materials, secondhand furniture, old clothing, old jewelry, rags, old metal or miscellaneous personal property are purchased or sold, or to follow the business of collecting rags, old bottles, old metal or miscellaneous articles with vehicles or carts, or to keep a junk shop or junkyard, without first obtaining a license.

Section 26-1252 bars a licensee from purchasing or receiving property from a minor without the minor's parent or guardian giving written consent. Section 26-1253 requires every licensee to keep a record of all articles purchased, open to inspection by any Police Department member at all reasonable hours. Section 26-1251 declares an unlicensed or noncompliant operation a public nuisance under Section 42-35, letting the Village Manager ask the Corporation Counsel to seek an injunction in addition to other Chapter 42, Article II remedies. Applications go to the Village Manager or designee under Section 26-1272 and must be acted on within 30 days under Section 26-1273, following a review that can include investigating the applicant under Section 26-1274.

A license must be displayed at the licensed location under Section 26-1275, cannot be assigned or transferred to another person or corporation under Section 26-1280, and the fee is set under Section 46-73 per Section 26-1279.