Westland, MI Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- From Westland city clerk
- Retention period
- 15 days before resale
- Penalty
- $500 fine, 90 days jail
- Adopting ordinance
- Ord. No. 220-A-3 (2019)
- Record inspection
- Open to Westland police
Summary
Westland requires anyone dealing in secondhand goods or junk to obtain a city clerk license, submit fingerprints, and log every purchase in a police-inspectable record book before reselling items.
A person, corporation, co-partnership, or firm shall not carry on the business of dealer in second hand goods or junk dealer in the city without having first obtained, from the city clerk, a license under this act authorizing that person, corporation, co-partnership, or firm to carry on that business.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 66).
Full Breakdown
City of Westland Code of Ordinances § 26-1 bars operating as a secondhand or junk dealer without a city clerk license, adopted by Ord. No. 220-A-3 in 2019. Licensees must supply fingerprints and a business address, post the license, and record every purchase, seller's ID, date, and item description, in a book open to Westland Police inspection. Purchased articles must be tagged and held at least 15 days before resale, and weekly purchase logs go to the chief of police. An internet drop-off store meeting statutory conditions is exempt from licensure. Wayne County, Michigan.
Violations & Fines
Operating without a license, or violating the recordkeeping and 15-day retention rules, is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $500 fine and 90 days in jail; a conviction also revokes the license for two years.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a license to run a resale or junk shop in Westland?
How long must a Westland secondhand dealer hold purchased items before reselling?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Westland
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Secondhand Dealers in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Wayne County handle secondhand dealers.