Topeka, KS Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- License
- Required under TMC 5.140.050
- Covers
- Furniture, jewelry, appliances, clothing, similar goods
- Excludes
- Garage sales, auctions, licensed antique/junk dealers
- Prohibited buys
- Stolen goods; from minors or intoxicated persons
- Enforcement
- City Clerk; refusal/revocation under TMC 5.05.100
Summary
Topeka requires a City license before anyone deals for profit in secondhand furniture, jewelry, appliances, clothing, or similar goods of value, and bars dealers from buying from minors, intoxicated persons, or anyone offering stolen property.
Any person that ordinarily deals for profit in secondhand goods, wares or merchandise, including, but not limited to, furniture, books, appliances, clothing, jewelry, automobile accessories or similar articles of value, is hereby declared to be a “secondhand dealer”; provided, that antique and junk dealers as defined in K.S.A. 50-619(a) and (e) and persons conducting a garage sale as defined by TMC 5.140.020 or by auction as defined by TMC 5.140.030 shall not be considered to be secondhand dealers.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 20671, passed July 14, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Topeka Municipal Code Chapter 5.140 defines a secondhand dealer as anyone who ordinarily deals for profit in used furniture, books, appliances, clothing, jewelry, automobile accessories, or similar goods. Antique and junk dealers licensed under K.S.A. 50-619, garage sales, and auctions are excluded from the definition. TMC 5.140.050 requires secondhand dealers and auctioneers to obtain a City license, and TMC 5.140.040 bars any dealer from buying stolen property or purchasing from an intoxicated person or a minor. The license fee is set under TMC 5.10.060 and 5.10.230.
Violations & Fines
Operating as a secondhand dealer without a City license, or buying stolen goods or property from a minor or intoxicated person, violates TMC 5.140; the City refuses or revokes licenses under TMC 5.05.100 for such conduct.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Topeka require a license to run a secondhand or resale shop?
Are garage sales or antique dealers covered by this license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Topeka
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