Warren, MI Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)

Sec. 30-2 bars carrying on the business of automotive recycler, scrap processor, secondhand goods or junk dealer, junk peddler, or junk yard without first procuring a city clerk license under chapter 30 and the general licensing provisions of chapter 18; the license expires per Sec. 18-13 and is never prorated. Applicants file with the city clerk under Sec. 30-4, disclosing five years of prior names, all other secondhand businesses they operate, a federal tax ID and Michigan sales tax license, proof of identity, and any prior conviction for a crime committed in the conduct of a secondhand business or for receiving and concealing stolen property, plus the nonrefundable fee under Sec.

18-18. Under Sec. 30-5, the clerk cannot issue a license if 65 percent or more of residential owners within one city block file a petition opposing the location. Before issuance, the police department runs a criminal background check and confirms the applicant is at least 18, and the division of buildings and safety engineering confirms zoning compliance, with the mayor's office signing off on both reviews within 20 calendar days (Sec. 30-6). Zoning locks the business out of every residential district entirely and, in C-2 general business districts, requires the site to sit more than 500 feet from any residential district and more than 1,000 feet from another pawnshop, secondhand business, or K-12 school (Sec.

30-13). Licensees must keep a numbered written transaction record with the seller's name, address, fingerprint, and ID number for every item purchased (Sec. 30-16), transmit a weekly electronic copy to police every Monday before noon (Sec. 30-19), hold purchased goods at least 15 days before resale (Sec. m. (Secs. 30-14, 30-22).