St. Petersburg, FL Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- Tax category
- Category I, taxed by employee count
- Base fee
- $65.00 up to 30 employees, +$12/employee over 30
- Item numbers
- Junk dealers (80); Secondhand merchants/sales (132)
- Junk dealers include
- junk gatherers, yards, or shops
- Overlap rule
- taxed under one matching category, not both
- Annual due date
- September 30 under § 17-124
Summary
St. Petersburg taxes secondhand merchants and junk dealers as separate business classifications under the Chapter 17 tax schedule, City Code § 17-135. 'Junk dealers' covers buying or selling junk, waste, scrap metal, or used materials, while 'Secondhand merchants/sales' is its own line item: a business is taxed under only one of the overlapping categories, not both.
(80)Junk dealers. Buying and/or selling junk, waste, or used materials, including scrap metal.
Tax unless taxed as a wrecking yard, or taxed as secondhand sales when sales confined to household furnishings or to the sale of wearing apparel.
Includes: junk gatherers, yards or shops. ... (131)Savings and loan associations and banks.(132)Secondhand merchants/sales.(133)Secretarial, stenographer and related services.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 54).
Full Breakdown
00 for each additional employee. ' The code prevents double taxation by directing that a junk dealer be 'taxed as a wrecking yard, or taxed as secondhand sales when sales confined to household furnishings or to the sale of wearing apparel' instead, where that category fits better. or merchant,' confirming secondhand sales operates as the catch-all classification for used-goods dealing that doesn't fit a more specific category. Every classification requires its own annual business tax receipt under § 17-124, due September 30, before the business may lawfully operate in the City, whether it's a junk yard, a pawn-adjacent secondhand shop, or a used-furniture or clothing reseller.
Violations & Fines
Operating as a junk dealer or secondhand merchant in the City without first obtaining the required business tax receipt is unlawful under § 17-124(f) and is enforced through §§ 1-7 and 17-127: a flat 25-percent penalty once 30 days' notice has lapsed, delinquency penalties of 10 percent plus 5 percent per month (capped at 25 percent) after the September 30 due date, and civil action with up to a $250.00 penalty if unpaid past 150 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are "junk dealers" and "secondhand merchants" taxed the same way in St. Petersburg?
What counts as a "junk dealer" under St. Petersburg's code?
Does a secondhand shop need a separate tax receipt from a pawnshop or antique dealer?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in St. Petersburg
Florida rules heatmap·Compare St. Petersburg to another location·View the Florida business licensing & operations overview
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