Ventura, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit issuer
- Ventura police chief
- Covers
- Used goods, not vehicles or junk
- Resale hold
- 30 days unless sold to another dealer
- Business hours limit
- No transactions 10 p.m.-6 a.m.
- Records
- Open to police inspection
- Appeal window
- 10 days to city manager
Summary
Secondhand dealers doing business in the City of Ventura need the same police-issued permit as pawnbrokers and junk dealers under San Buenaventura Municipal Code Section 6.200.030(B), and every item they buy or take in trade must sit unsold for 30 days unless resold to another permitted dealer. The police chief can deny, suspend or revoke the permit for fraud or repeat violations.
“Secondhand dealer” means any person who in the course of business buys, sells or deals in secondhand goods, wares or merchandise other than motor vehicles or junk as herein defined, and whether such person is engaged solely in such purchase, sale or dealing, or buys, sells or deals therein, in connection with engaging in, conducting, managing or carrying on another business similar or dissimilar; provided, that one who accepts secondhand goods, wares or merchandise in part payment, and coincidentally with the sale by them of new goods, wares or merchandise in the regular course of their business, shall not with respect to such goods, wares, or merchandise so acquired be deemed to be a secondhand dealer within the purview of this section. ... It shall be unlawful for any secondhand dealer to sell or dispose of any article or thing within 30 days after such article or thing has been purchased or acquired by them other than to a person licensed under the provisions of this chapter.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 2026-008, passed May 12, 2026).
Full Breakdown
030(B) defines a “secondhand dealer” broadly as anyone who buys, sells or deals in secondhand goods other than motor vehicles or junk, whether or not that is their only business; a merchant who merely takes used goods as partial trade-in on a new sale in the ordinary course of business is excluded from the definition. 030(C)(1)-(2)). 030(C)(6)). 030(C)(7)-(8)). m. 030(E)(1), (G)(1)-(2)). 030(F)(1)).
Violations & Fines
Dealing in secondhand goods without the police permit required by 6.200.030(A)-(B) is itself a violation. Reselling merchandise before the 30-day hold in 6.200.030(F)(1) expires, other than a resale to another permitted dealer, is a separate offense, and failing to keep or produce the required acquisition records is a violation under 6.200.030(G)(4), charged as a new offense for each day it continues. A revoked permit cannot be reissued to the same person for three months (6.200.030(D)(2)).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Ventura thrift or consignment store need a permit?
How soon can a secondhand item be resold in Ventura?
What records must a Ventura secondhand dealer keep?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Ventura
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Secondhand Dealers in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Ventura County handle secondhand dealers.