Reference
Secondhand dealer rules by jurisdiction
The rules a watch dealer actually has to follow are set locally, and they vary more than most people expect. Here is every jurisdiction covered on this site, side by side.
38 cities and counties across 13 states. Holding periods alone run from 5 days to 30. 18 of these jurisdictions fingerprint the applicant.
How to read this. Every value comes from the guide for that jurisdiction, and every guide cites the ordinance section it came from with the date it was checked. Where a rule is genuinely unsettled on the text, this table says “unclear” rather than guessing.
Holding period is the number of days you must keep an item before reselling it. Where a city and its state both set one, the longer governs — the guides say which applies and why.
This is research, not legal advice, and none of it has been reviewed by an attorney. Use it to know what to ask.
Arizona
Transaction Privilege Tax (TPT)
- Statewide dealer licence
- None
- Statewide holding period
- None for outright-purchase dealers — the statewide holding/reporting duties run on pawnbrokers (ARS 44-1625), not outright buyers
| Jurisdiction | Local licence | Hold | Prints | Fee | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix | Required | 10 days | Yes | $130 application, or $70 reduced (filed the same day when no background check is… | 2026-09-21 |
| Scottsdale | Required | 10 days | Yes | $200 for the first year, then $100 annually; fingerprint fee up to $40; duplicate… | 2026-09-20 |
| Tucson | Required | 20 days | Unclear | Tucson doesn't set a separate secondhand-dealer fee in Chapter 7 — you obtain the City… | 2026-09-21 |
California
Sales and Use Tax (seller's permit, CDTFA)
- Statewide dealer licence
- Required
- Statewide holding period
- Seven days for reportable tangible personal property, running from the date the report reached CAPSS rather than from purchase (§ 21636.1(a)). After five days the rest of the hold lifts if you record the sale with the buyer's name, address, and a phone number, email, or text address (§ 21636.1(d)).
| Jurisdiction | Local licence | Hold | Prints | Fee | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | Required | 7 days | Yes | $453.00 original fee for a Secondhand (Jewelry) police permit, plus the state's $300… | 2026-09-22 |
| San Diego | Required | 30 daysabove the state floor | Yes | $550 per year regulatory fee for a Second Hand Dealer Tangible permit, plus a… | 2026-09-22 |
| San Francisco | Required | 7 days | Yes | $200 filing fee, payable in advance with the application to the Police Department… | 2026-09-22 |
| San Jose | Required | 30 daysabove the state floor | Yes | $595 per year for the initial issue, and any fee charged by the State Department of… | 2026-09-22 |
Florida
Sales and Use Tax
- Statewide dealer licence
- Required
- Statewide holding period
- 30 calendar days for a precious metal, gemstone, or jewelry (also antiques and art); 15 calendar days for other secondhand goods; 30 days where an automated kiosk is used (§ 538.06). Chapter 538 defines jewelry as a personal ornament containing precious metals (§ 538.31(1)(b)), so a gold, two-tone, or gem-set watch takes 30 days and an all-steel watch with no stones takes 15.
| Jurisdiction | Local licence | Hold | Prints | Fee | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville | Required | 5 days | Yes | Chapter 185 sets no fee for the Sheriff's permit — the sections creating it (§§… | 2026-09-22 |
| Miami | Required | 30 days | Yes | $320.00 — classification 3280, secondhand dealers in jewelry or precious metals… | 2026-09-22 |
| Orlando | Required | 30 days | Yes | Scaled, not flat: a base by floor area — $55.13 under 2,000 sq ft, $110.25 from… | 2026-09-22 |
| Tampa | Required | 30 days | Yes | $115.76 — (0289)(j) used goods or second hand dealer, general merchandise; (0154)… | 2026-09-22 |
Georgia
Sales and Use Tax
- Statewide dealer licence
- Unclear
- Statewide holding period
- Not confirmed. Title 43 Chapter 37 includes a section headed 'Written reports of purchases required; time of report', so a state reporting duty exists, but its terms were not retrievable. Atlanta imposes its own: 15 days for secondhand goods, 30 days excluding Sundays and legal holidays for goods containing precious metals.
| Jurisdiction | Local licence | Hold | Prints | Fee | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | Not required | 15 days | No | No fee for being a secondhand dealer — Atlanta imposes the duties without charging for… | 2026-09-23 |
Illinois
Retailers' Occupation Tax
- Statewide dealer licence
- None
- Statewide holding period
- Yes — 10 days for an individually identifiable article, 3 days for a non-identifiable one, running from the date of purchase or receipt (§ 40). A watch carrying a serial number plainly qualifies as identifiable. The Act also fixes where the stock sits: it stays at the premises of purchase until the period runs out.
| Jurisdiction | Local licence | Hold | Prints | Fee | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago | Required | 10 days | Unclear | $1,100.00 for a secondhand dealer licence (Code § 4-5-010, item 29) | 2026-09-23 |
Massachusetts
Sales and Use Tax
- Statewide dealer licence
- None
- Statewide holding period
- None. Neither the second-hand dealer sections of chapter 140 nor the gold, silver and platinum purchase book (c. 266 § 142A) sets a holding period or a duty to report purchases to police. Any hold is set locally, under the rule-making power § 54 gives each city and town.
| Jurisdiction | Local licence | Hold | Prints | Fee | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | Required | 30 daysabove the state floor | Unclear | $150 for the annual licence (CBC 18-1.19(F)) | 2026-10-03 |
| Worcester | Required | — | Unclear | $100 (§ 7A(c); the police packet states the fee as $100.00) | 2026-10-03 |
Nevada
Sales and Use Tax
- Statewide dealer licence
- None
- Statewide holding period
- Yes, and it varies by county. Individually identifiable property cannot leave your premises for 30 days in a county of 700,000 or more (Clark) or 15 days below that (Washoe), running from when the transaction is reported (NRS 647.130).
| Jurisdiction | Local licence | Hold | Prints | Fee | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henderson | Required | 30 days | Yes | Secondhand dealer licence $125.00 semiannually (HMC 4.05.363), plus a $250.00 full… | 2026-09-23 |
| Las Vegas | Required | 30 days | Yes | Semiannual, in advance, banded on gross sales (LVMC 6.04.005): $55 up to $30,000 of… | 2026-09-23 |
| North Las Vegas | Required | 30 days | Yes | Secondhand dealer licence $150.00 semiannually, payable in advance (NLVMC 5.46.080(A))… | 2026-09-23 |
| Reno | Required | 15 days | Yes | Privileged licence application processing fee $65.00, plus the Reno PD background… | 2026-09-23 |
| Sparks | Required | 15 days | Yes | There is no separate fee for this licence | 2026-09-23 |
| Unincorporated Clark County | Required | 30 days | Yes | Semiannual licence fee by class (CC 6.28.160): Class I (vehicles, parts, salvage) $200… | 2026-09-23 |
New Jersey
Sales and Use Tax (Certificate of Authority, Form CA-1)
- Statewide dealer licence
- None
- Statewide holding period
- No general statewide hold. If watches count as 'jewelry' under N.J.S.A. 2C:21-36 — not settled — each piece is held at least 10 business days after the weekly copy of your purchase record goes to police. A buyer of precious metals on the basis of bulk value holds them at least two business days, minimum 48 hours (51:6A-1(g)). Newark and Jersey City set their own holds.
| Jurisdiction | Local licence | Hold | Prints | Fee | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jersey City | Required | 30 business daysabove the state floor | Yes | Class B general licence $1,000 per year (Class A $200); Class B temporary licence $500… | 2026-10-03 |
| Newark | Required | 7 business days | Yes | — | 2026-10-03 |
New York
Sales and Use Tax (Certificate of Authority)
- Statewide dealer licence
- None
- Statewide holding period
- No statewide holding period for secondhand goods. New York City imposes one: secondhand items, including jewelry, cannot be sold within 15 days of purchase (NYC Admin Code § 20-268(d)).
| Jurisdiction | Local licence | Hold | Prints | Fee | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo | Required | 21 daysabove the state floor | Unclear | $500.00 per year for a secondhand dealer licence (Ch. 175, Fees, setting the fees for §… | 2026-09-22 |
| New York City | Required | 15 daysabove the state floor | No | $340, $255, $170 or $85, depending on when in the two-year cycle the application is… | 2026-09-22 |
| Rochester | Required | 5 daysabove the state floor | Unclear | $350.00 a year for a secondhand dealer's licence; $400.00 for a secondhand auto… | 2026-09-22 |
| Yonkers | Required | 15 business daysabove the state floor | Unclear | $250.00 per year for each location, plus a certificate of insurance of $10,000 naming… | 2026-09-22 |
Ohio
Sales and Use Tax
- Statewide dealer licence
- Required
- Statewide holding period
- For a Chapter 4728 licensee: 72 hours at the licensed location, and 5 days in Ohio, from purchase — extended to 30 days where police give written notice that an article is believed stolen. The secondhand-article duties in ORC 4737.01 set no holding period as currently worded.
| Jurisdiction | Local licence | Hold | Prints | Fee | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland | Required | — | No | $125 a year (§ 676.07) | 2026-10-03 |
| Columbus | Not required | 7 daysabove the state floor | No | None — Columbus has no secondhand-dealer licence and charges no secondhand-dealer fee | 2026-10-03 |
Pennsylvania
Sales, Use and Hotel Occupancy Tax
- Statewide dealer licence
- Required
- Statewide holding period
- For gold, silver or platinum items bought from the public: hold unaltered for five full working days after the district attorney's copy is filed, at the place of purchase, inside the county (Act 17 of 1984, § 4). A written police notice adds seven more days. There is no statewide hold for steel watches. Pittsburgh is different: a 1927 act for cities of the second class holds watches 30 days.
| Jurisdiction | Local licence | Hold | Prints | Fee | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | Required | 30 daysabove the state floor | Unclear | $253 license fee (L&I page) | 2026-10-03 |
| Pittsburgh | Required | 30 daysabove the state floor | No | $135.00 for the initial license and each annual renewal (PLI 2026 Fee Schedule) | 2026-10-03 |
Texas
Sales and Use Tax
- Statewide dealer licence
- Unclear
- Statewide holding period
- None for market-value watch dealers; a covered crafted-precious-metal dealer must keep items unaltered until the 11th day after the police report (Occ. Code 1956.064).
| Jurisdiction | Local licence | Hold | Prints | Fee | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin | Required | — | No | No registration fee is set in Chapter 4-6 — register with the Austin Police Department | 2026-09-21 |
| Dallas | Required | 21 days | No | $245 annual license fee (§ 39B-9) | 2026-09-21 |
| Fort Worth | Unclear | 14 days | No | No separate secondhand-dealer fee is set in the Chapter 20 article; confirm any general… | 2026-09-21 |
| Houston | Required | — | No | $385.98 application plus a $32.16 administrative fee (§ 7-124) | 2026-09-21 |
| San Antonio | Not required | — | No | No city secondhand-dealer fee — Article VIII imposes record-keeping, not a license | 2026-09-21 |
Washington
Retail sales tax (plus B&O tax)
- Statewide dealer licence
- None
- Statewide holding period
- Yes — 30 days. Property you buy or take on consignment can't leave your place of business for 30 days, or, if you have no permanent place of business, must stay in the city or county where you received it (RCW 19.60.055). An item police report as stolen is held 120 days from notification (RCW 19.60.045).
| Jurisdiction | Local licence | Hold | Prints | Fee | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle | Required | 30 days | No | $208 a year for the used goods dealer licence (SMC 6.204.080.A), plus the Seattle… | 2026-10-03 |
| Spokane | Not required | 30 days | No | General business licence $131, plus an employee fee of $10 per employee for 1–5… | 2026-10-03 |
Missing your city? Browse the full list — and if it is not there yet, the guides index has a form to say which one to write next.