Toledo, OH Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)

Toledo Municipal Code § 727.02 requires a license from the Director of Finance for any person, firm or corporation engaged in the business of second-hand dealer, with a separate license for each location; a garage, yard or estate sale exceeding seven cumulative days within a ninety-day period also triggers the requirement. Applications go through the Division of Police Records Section for a criminal background check (§ 727.03(c)), and § 727.03(e) bars issuance to anyone convicted within five years of theft, receiving stolen property, or a felony drug abuse offense, or whose second-hand dealer license was revoked in the prior five years.

The nonproratable fee is $125 per year, running April 1 to March 31 (§ 727.05). Licensees must keep a 'Second-Hand Dealer's Register' recording each seller's name, address, birth date, picture ID, a photo of the item, price paid and exact date and hour of purchase, entered both in ink and electronically through the LeadsOnline reporting system (§ 727.07). Purchased articles must be held 30 days (15 days if reported electronically) before resale or disposal (§ 727.08). Dealers may not buy from anyone visibly intoxicated, under 18, or refusing ID, may not buy items with altered serial numbers, may not transact off-premises, and may not purchase between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. (§ 727.10). Business hours are capped at 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., extended to 10:00 p.m. only on Saturdays (§ 727.12).