Spotsylvania County, VA Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)

Chapter 17 of the Spotsylvania County Code regulates anyone who buys secondhand precious metals or gems, defined in Sec. 17-27 as a 'dealer': a person, firm, partnership or corporation that purchases secondhand precious metals or gems, removes them from manufactured articles, or buys and sells metals or gems taken from such articles, including any employee who makes the purchase on an employer's behalf. Sec. 17-56 makes it unlawful to engage in the activities of a dealer within the county without a current permit issued under Division 2 of the chapter.

To obtain one, Sec. 00 application fee paid to the county treasurer; a false statement voids the resulting permit from the start. Sec. 00 bond or letter of credit in favor of the Board of Supervisors before the permit issues, covering claims by anyone harmed by the dealer's misconduct. Once licensed, Sec. 17-34 requires the dealer to verify each seller's identity with government-issued photo identification plus one other corroborating document and a signed statement of ownership, and Sec. 17-35 requires the dealer to keep an itemized purchase record for at least 24 months and report each purchase to the Sheriff within 24 hours.

Sec. 17-37 bars the dealer from selling, altering or removing any purchased item from the county for 10 calendar days after the sheriff receives the bill of sale. Sec. 17-59 conditions issuance on the applicant having no felony or moral-turpitude conviction within the prior 7 years, and Sec. 17-63 lets the sheriff revoke the permit for a year after a first conviction under the chapter, with revocation mandatory on a second. Sec. 17-30 makes a first violation a Class 2 misdemeanor and a subsequent violation a Class 1 misdemeanor.