Syracuse, NY Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- Licensing authority
- commissioner of finance
- Annual fee
- $250 per location; $50/day limited
- Background check
- 10-year lookback, theft/fraud convictions
- Resale hold period
- 7 days after acquisition
- Business hours
- 8 a.m.-8 p.m.; 9 p.m. Saturdays
- Record retention
- 5 years, open to police inspection
- Minimum seller age
- 18, no purchases from minors
Summary
Syracuse requires secondhand dealers to hold a license from the commissioner of finance under Sec. 9-99, pay a $250 annual fee, pass a police background check, record every transaction, and hold acquired goods seven days before resale under Chapter 9, Article 9.
Before any person, corporation, partnership, unincorporated association or the agents or employees of such entities shall engage in the business as a secondhand dealer in the city of Syracuse, said person, corporation, partnership, unincorporated association or the agents or employees of such entities shall obtain a license to do so from the commissioner of finance. Said license shall be valid, unless otherwise revoked, for the calendar year in which the same is issued and every said license shall expire at midnight on December 31 of said year.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 41).
Full Breakdown
Section 9-99 requires any person, corporation, partnership or unincorporated association engaging in the secondhand business in Syracuse to first obtain a license from the commissioner of finance; the license runs through the calendar year and expires at midnight December 31, a separate license is needed for each location, and it does not authorize pawnbroking. Section 9-100 requires a written application and a Syracuse Police Department criminal background check, and bars a license to anyone with a theft, larceny, burglary, stolen-property or fraud conviction within the past ten years.
Section 9-101 sets the annual fee at $250 per location, or $50 per day for a limited-duration license capped at one week. covering the prior seven days. Section 9-102(f) bars selling, altering or commingling an acquired item until seven days have elapsed since acquisition. on Saturdays. 1 flatly bars purchasing any article from anyone actually or apparently under 18. Section 9-98 exempts yard/garage sales under 96 hours (three per year), secondhand book or magazine sales, licensed auctions, bulk wholesale sales, and stores where at least 75 percent of revenue comes from antiques, used furniture, used clothing or used children's items.
Violations & Fines
A secondhand dealer who operates without the commissioner of finance's license, or who is disqualified for a disqualifying theft or fraud conviction within the past ten years, is not authorized to do business under Sec. 9-99 and Sec. 9-100. Selling, altering or commingling merchandise before the seven-day hold in Sec. 9-102(f) expires, or failing to properly record and electronically report each acquired item under Sec. 9-102, is treated by the code as presumptive evidence that the property is stolen, and the Syracuse Police Department is authorized to seize such property with notice. Purchasing from a minor under Sec. 9-103.1 is a violation regardless of any claim the minor acted as another's agent.
Frequently Asked Questions
What license does a Syracuse secondhand dealer need?
How much does the license cost?
How long must a dealer hold merchandise before reselling it?
Are yard sales or antique stores covered by this license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Syracuse
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