Orlando, FL · city specifics
What's specific to Orlando
At a glance
Local permit
Where to apply
Reporting system
Holding period
Fees
Fingerprinting
Want the whole picture? Get the federal, state and Orlando rules together, for how you buy and sell.
Build my Orlando plan →Orlando regulates watch dealers through its licence and business tax schedule, not through a secondhand-dealer ordinance. Chapter 36 lists Secondhand Dealers at § 36.35(218) and charges them on the merchant retail/wholesale scale. The substance a dealer must follow is state law, which the Florida guide covers.
A fee that depends on your stock
Unlike Miami's flat $320, Orlando's business tax is calculated. The merchant retail/wholesale scale at § 36.36(3) is:
A base by floor area
- Under 2,000 sq ft — $55.13
- 2,000 to 5,000 sq ft — $110.25
- Above 5,000 sq ft — $275.63
Plus a component on average annual inventory
- Under $1,000 in value — no additional fee
- $1,000 and under $50,000 — $1.38 for each $1,000
- $50,000 and over — $68.90, plus $2.75 for each $1,000 above $50,000
For a watch dealer this is the unusual part: the tax tracks the value of inventory you carry, so a small operation working out of a modest space pays near the floor, while a dealer holding significant stock pays materially more. How the city measures average annual inventory for a business whose stock turns several times a year is worth asking directly.
Pawnbrokers are charged on the same scale under § 36.35(188) — but pawnbroking also needs the state licence from the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services at $300 a year, covered in the state guide.
Everything else is state law
Orlando has not used the power § 538.17 gives it to be stricter. So a watch dealer in Orlando:
- Registers with the Department of Revenue before trading from a location — $6 per location, renewed each October 1, with fingerprints through FDLE.
- Reports every purchase to the Orlando Police Department within 24 hours, on the FDLE-approved form, including the seller's right thumbprint.
- Holds precious metals, gemstones, and jewelry 30 calendar days; other secondhand goods 15.
- Keeps records three years.
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
- Business Tax Receipt, City of Orlando Code Ch. 36 — classification 36.35(218), 'Secondhand Dealers'
- Who it applies to
- Orlando's Chapter 36 licence schedule lists secondhand dealers as a classification and charges them on the merchant retail/wholesale scale. The city has no separate secondhand-dealer permit, records, or holding ordinance — those come from state law.
- Reporting system
- Orlando Police Department (as the appropriate law enforcement official under Fla. Stat. § 538.03(1)(b))
- What must be reported
- Orlando adds no reporting of its own. Under state law each purchase produces a transaction form at the time of the deal and a record delivered to the police chief within 24 hours, with the serial number and description, digital photographs, the seller's identification details and right thumbprint, and a signed statement of ownership.
- Reporting cadence
- Within 24 hours of acquiring the goods, under state law (§ 538.04).
- Holding period
- 30 daysState law rather than a city ordinance: 30 calendar days for a precious metal, gemstone, or jewelry; 15 calendar days for other secondhand goods (§ 538.06), with jewelry defined as a personal ornament containing precious metals (§ 538.31(1)(b)). Orlando has not enacted a stricter local period.
- Fingerprinting
- YesThrough the state registration: a complete set of fingerprints certified by an authorized law enforcement officer, forwarded by the Department of Revenue to FDLE (§ 538.09).
- Zoning / home office
- Florida preempts most of this: under § 559.955 a local government may not license or regulate a qualifying home-based business differently from any other business, and such a business may operate in an area zoned for residential use, subject only to the applicable local business taxes. The qualifying criteria cover who works at the dwelling, parking, and keeping the property's appearance consistent with the surrounding residential area.
- Fees
- Scaled, not flat: a base by floor area — $55.13 under 2,000 sq ft, $110.25 from 2,000–5,000, $275.63 above 5,000 — plus an average annual inventory component of $1.38 per $1,000 of value between $1,000 and $50,000, and $68.90 plus $2.75 per $1,000 above $50,000 (Ch. 36.36(3), the merchant retail/wholesale scale)Renewal: Annual business tax receipt renewalSource reviewed: 2026-09-22 (City of Orlando Code Ch. 36, current as displayed)
Confirm with your city
Every entry above came from the code or statute cited at the bottom of this page, read on the review date shown. Ordinances change between supplements, so confirm the permit, fee, reporting system, and holding period with the city office listed here before you rely on them.
Things to confirm
Confidence: ConfirmedOpen items a professional should verify before you rely on this page.
- Confirm the classification Orlando assigns your business, and how it measures 'average annual inventory' for a dealer whose stock turns several times a year.
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Sources
- Orlando Code Ch. 36 - Licenses (business tax receipt schedule; classification 36.35(218) SECONDHAND DEALERS is charged on the merchant retail/wholesale scale at 36.36(3): a scalable fee by square footage — under 2000 sq ft $55.13; 2000–5000 $110.25; above 5000 $275.63 — plus an average annual inventory component of $1.38 per $1000 between $1000 and $50000 and $68.90 plus $2.75 per $1000 above $50000; classification 36.35(188) PAWNBROKER uses the same scale) — retrieved 2026-09-22 · current as displayed
- Orlando Code Ch. 36 - Business tax receipt term and renewal (the tax year runs from October 1 to September 30; receipts are issued by the Office of Permitting Services; renewals go on sale July 1; are due and payable October 1; expire September 30 of the succeeding year; a receipt not renewed by October 1 is delinquent with a 10% penalty in October plus 5% for each further month to a maximum of 25%) — retrieved 2026-09-22 · current as displayed
- Florida Statutes 538.04 (2026) - Record-keeping requirements; penalties (transaction form completed at the time of the transaction; record delivered to the appropriate law enforcement official within 24 hours on a form approved by the Department of Law Enforcement; record must include brand; model; manufacturer's serial number; size; colour; precious metal type and weight; gemstone description; digital photographs; the seller's full description and right thumbprint; government-issued photo ID verified and recorded; seller signs a statement of rightful ownership; records kept 3 years) — retrieved 2026-09-22 · 2026 statutes
- Florida Statutes 538.06 (2026) - Holding period (no disposal of a precious metal; gemstone; or jewelry; an antique furnishing; fixture; or decorative object; or an item of art within 30 calendar days of acquisition; 15 calendar days for goods not so described; 30 days where an automated kiosk is used; holding periods do not apply where the original seller redeems the goods; law enforcement may place a 90-day hold on probable cause; transaction records kept 3 years) — retrieved 2026-09-22 · 2026 statutes
- Florida Statutes 538.09 (2026) - Registration (secondhand dealers register with the Department of Revenue before engaging in business from any location; $6 per location at registration and a $6 annual renewal per location on October 1; a fee equal to federal and state fingerprint processing costs accompanies the application; a complete set of fingerprints certified by an authorized law enforcement officer plus a fullface photo ID card; DOR forwards prints to FDLE which reports within 30 days; registration displayed at the registered location; civil fine up to $10000 per violation) — retrieved 2026-09-22 · 2026 statutes
- Florida Statutes 538.17 (2026) - Local regulation of secondhand dealers (nothing in the chapter precludes political subdivisions and municipalities from enacting laws more restrictive than the chapter) — retrieved 2026-09-22 · 2026 statutes
- Florida Statutes 539.001 (2026) - Florida Pawnbroking Act (agency means the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; a person may not engage in business as a pawnbroker without a valid licence from the agency; a separate licence is required for each pawnshop; each licence is valid one year and the annual licence fee is $300 per licence; 30 days written notice before moving a pawnshop) — retrieved 2026-09-22 · 2026 statutes
- Florida Statutes 538.31 (2026) - Definitions; applicability (Part III) (Jewelry means a personal ornament that contains precious metals and may contain gemstones; Precious metals means any item containing any gold; silver; or platinum; or any combination thereof — the Legislature's own definition of jewelry within Chapter 538; Part I contains no competing definition) — retrieved 2026-09-22 · 2026 statutes
- Florida Statutes 559.955 (2026) - Home-based businesses; local government restrictions (local governments may not enact or enforce any ordinance or policy to license or otherwise regulate a home-based business in violation of the section; a qualifying home-based business may operate in an area zoned for residential use; may not be prohibited; restricted; regulated or licensed differently from other businesses; and is only subject to applicable business taxes under chapter 205 in the county and municipality where it is located; qualifying criteria include that employees working at the dwelling reside there except up to two who need not; parking consistent with a similar residence; and external appearance consistent with the surrounding residential area) — retrieved 2026-09-22 · 2026 statutes
- Miami Code of Ordinances Ch. 31 - Local Business Tax and Miscellaneous Business Regulations (BTR fee schedule: classification 3280 secondhand dealers; jewelry or precious metals $320.00 — this licence only allows the buying; selling and trading of used jewelry and other precious metals; classification 3290 secondhand dealers; used merchandise $320.00; where personal property is taken into possession by a lender a secondhand dealer's BTR is required) — retrieved 2026-09-22 · current as displayed
Not legal advice. Confirm with your city or state office and a qualified professional.
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