What's specific to Cleveland

At a glance

Local details

Everything a city page adds on top of the state rules. Fields that weren't found in the source are marked so — confirm them with the city, never assume.

Permit required

Yes

Official name

Secondhand Dealer's License (Cleveland Codified Ordinances Ch. 676), issued by the Division of Assessments and Licenses

Who it applies to

Cleveland defines a "secondhand dealer" in the state's own words: a person other than a scrap metal dealer "that purchases, sells, exchanges, or receives secondhand articles of any kind" (§ 676.01(a)(8)). The city's instruction sheet says the licence is required for exactly that activity, and treats a secondhand article as any item of personal property previously sold at retail, previously used, or not in new condition. The exclusions are trade-ins accepted against new merchandise, and businesses dealing exclusively in secondhand pianos, books and magazines, rugs and tapestries, paintings, drawings and engravings, heavy industrial equipment, furniture, or secondhand automobiles. Watches are not excluded. One drafting gap: § 676.02, the posted "License Required" section, names only junk dealers and scrap metal processors. The duty to hold the secondhand licence is evidenced by the § 676.07 fee, the revocation and closure powers, and the city's form — so the city plainly treats it as required, though which section imposes it is only likely, not confirmed.

Office

City of Cleveland, Division of Assessments and Licenses, 601 Lakeside Avenue, Room 122 — apply in person, online through the city's permit portal, or by mail

Reporting system

No city police-reporting duty for secondhand dealers

What must be reported

Chapter 676 requires the record book to be available for inspection by any law enforcement officer at all reasonable times (§ 676.08), but sets no routine report to police for secondhand dealers. The electronic-submission section, § 676.064, applies to scrap metal dealers only. A dealer may swipe the magnetic strip on a seller's ID to record their name, address and photograph instead of making a copy (§ 676.062). For precious-metal watches the state daily report to the local police chief still applies; the form or system the Cleveland Division of Police prescribes for it was not found.

Reporting cadence

Not confirmed — check with the city

Holding period

Not confirmed — check with the cityNone at city level. Section 676.10, the secondhand dealer's minimum holding period, was repealed by Ord. No. 329-11 (passed April 25, 2011, effective April 29, 2011). The state Chapter 4728 holds still apply to precious-metal purchases.

Fingerprinting

NoNo fingerprinting appears in Chapter 676 or on the application. The application must be notarized, and asks for a copy of a state driver's license or ID, the applicant's social security number and Federal ID number, felony-history disclosure, daily hours of operation, and a description of the goods dealt in.

Zoning / home office

A copy of the Certificate of Occupancy for the business address is a condition of the licence. The form adds: "This requirement does not apply to transient or temporary event-based transactions." Cleveland's Land Use Code was not researched, so how a home-based dealer obtains one is not covered here.The night-buying ban in § 676.05 is drafted for junk dealers and scrap processors, not secondhand dealers. A secondhand dealer buying steel watches is reached by the state ban on night buying (ORC 4737.03) instead.

Fees

$125 a year (§ 676.07)Renewal: Annual. All licences are issued as of October 1 and expire on September 30 (§ 676.07), whenever in the year you applySource reviewed: 2026-10-03 (Cleveland Codified Ordinances Chs. 676 and 681A on American Legal Publishing, which notes the posted code may not reflect the most current legislation; application form Rev. 9/2022)