Southaven, MS Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- Who reports
- Every junk dealer, pawnbroker and secondhand dealer
- Report goes to
- The chief of police, on city-furnished forms
- Deadline
- Available within 48 hours of receiving a sold or pawned article
- Seller data
- Name, description, address, date of birth and ID number
- Exempt
- Garage and yard sale sellers, nonprofits, antique dealers
- Maximum penalty
- $1,000 fine per offense, up to 90 days in jail
Summary
In the City of Southaven, every junk dealer, pawnbroker and secondhand dealer must make written reports to the chief of police on city forms, available within forty-eight hours of receiving a sold or pawned article. Each report identifies the seller and describes the item with serial number and marks. Violations are misdemeanors with fines up to $1,000.
(a)As used in this section, "secondhand dealer" shall mean any person, firm, partnership, association, corporation, company, or organization of any kind which to any degree buys and sells secondhand articles. It shall not apply to a private citizen who has a garage and yard sale, a nonprofit organization, or any antique dealer.(b)Every junk dealer, pawnbroker and secondhand dealer in the city is hereby required to make written reports to the chief of police upon forms furnished and paid for by the city. Such reports shall be made available within forty-eight (48) hours of receiving a sold or pawned article, and shall show the name, description, address, date of birth (D.O.B.) and identification number (ID#) of each person selling or pawning any article, and shall give a complete description, serial number and identifying marks of the sold or pawned article.(c)Every person, firm, or corporation, ... may be fined a sum of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) for each offense, and, at the discretion of the court, may be imprisoned for a period of time not to exceed ninety (90) days. Upon any such conviction, the license of such broker may be revoked.
Full Breakdown
Sec. 8-1 defines a secondhand dealer as any person or entity of any kind that to any degree buys and sells secondhand articles. It does not apply to a private citizen holding a garage and yard sale, a nonprofit organization, or any antique dealer. Every junk dealer, pawnbroker and secondhand dealer in the City of Southaven must make written reports to the chief of police on forms furnished and paid for by the city.
The reports must be made available within forty-eight (48) hours of receiving a sold or pawned article. Each shows the name, description, address, date of birth and identification number of each person selling or pawning an article, along with a complete description, serial number and identifying marks of the article itself. The reporting duty runs to the Southaven Police Department, which supplies the forms.
At the end of Sec. 8-1(c), conviction for a violation is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000 for each offense and, at the court's discretion, imprisonment not to exceed ninety (90) days. Upon conviction, the license of the broker can be revoked.
Other Title VIII rules sit alongside this one. Every business in the city needs a privilege license from the tax collector (Sec. 8-117), and the Privilege License Ordinance expires each license one year from issuance (Sec. 8-120). Dealers who buy antique, used or scrap jewelry, gems, silver, gold or other precious metals are also covered by Chapter 4, which requires a permit from the city clerk, weekly lists to the Southaven Police Department, and a fifteen business day hold before resale (Secs. 8-97, 8-100, 8-102).
Violations & Fines
A violation of Sec. 8-1 is a misdemeanor on conviction, with a fine of not more than $1,000 for each offense and, at the court's discretion, up to 90 days in jail. On conviction the license of the broker can be revoked. A privilege license violation under Sec. 8-121 adds liability for the tax plus a penalty not to exceed $500.
Frequently Asked Questions
What must a Southaven secondhand dealer report to police?
Do garage sales count as secondhand dealing?
What happens if a dealer skips the reports?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Southaven
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