Spokane, WA · city specifics
What's specific to Spokane
At a glance
Local permit
Where to apply
Reporting system
Holding period
Fees
Fingerprinting
Want the whole picture? Get the federal, state and Spokane rules together, for how you buy and sell.
Build my Spokane plan →Summary
Spokane has no secondhand dealer licence. It used to: SMC Chapter 10.45, "Used Goods," required one. Ordinance C35611, passed in April 2018 and effective that May, repealed the licence along with the chapter's purpose, dealer definition, records and special-regulations sections. The remaining sections of 10.45 deal with yard sales. None of it reaches a dealer.
A watch dealer in Spokane therefore needs two things: the general City of Spokane business licence, and compliance with state law, set out in the Washington guide.
What was checked
A repealed licence is easy to miss in either direction, so this page records what was searched:
- the full chapter list of Title 10 (Regulation of Activities): no pawnbroker, secondhand, junk, jewellery or precious-metals chapter. The chapters present include itinerant vendors, solicitation, used goods and virtual-currency kiosks.
- DOR's Spokane city-endorsement page, which lists the activities that need extra Spokane licensing: admission charges, commercial tree work, entertainment, for-hire vehicles, gambling, mobile food vendors, utilities and short-term rentals. Secondhand dealing is not among them.
State law is also city law
SMC 10.58.010 adopts by reference every statute in the Revised Code of Washington, as enacted now or later, including its penalties. So RCW 19.60 duties are Spokane Municipal Code duties too. The likely practical effect is that a violation can be prosecuted in Spokane Municipal Court as well as state court. That has not been confirmed.
The licence you do need
The City of Spokane requires a licence for all businesses located within city limits or conducting business there. It is applied for through the state Business Licensing Service.
- $131 licence fee
- employee fee: $10 per employee for 1–5 employees, $15 for 6–10, $20 for 11 or more. Sole proprietors and their spouses are not counted.
- a reduced renewal of $65.50, plus any employee fee, where your Spokane gross is $0 through $18,000
- $5 to register a trade name
Gold, silver and platinum
If you deal in precious-metal watches more than three times a year, state law requires a business licence from the local government where you are situated. Spokane offers no special one, so the general business licence is the likely candidate. Confirm that before relying on it.
What this guide does not cover
Spokane's land use code (Title 17C) was not reviewed, so storefront and home-occupation rules are not addressed. The system Spokane police use for transcript requests, if any, was not found. Spokane Valley is a separate city and is not covered. The combined sales tax rate in the City of Spokane is 9.1% for October–December 2026.
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
- No
- Official name
- None for secondhand dealers — SMC 10.45.040 (License Required) was repealed by Ord. C35611 in 2018; only the general City of Spokane business licence applies
- Who it applies to
- Spokane's used-goods chapter, SMC 10.45, once licensed dealers. Its purpose, dealer-definition, licence, records and special-regulations sections were all repealed by Ordinance C35611, passed April 16, 2018 and effective May 23, 2018. What survives regulates yard sales. The city's Title 10 chapter list has no pawnbroker, secondhand, junk, jewellery or precious-metals chapter, and DOR's Spokane endorsement page lists no secondhand activity among those needing extra city licensing. The general business licence is required for every business located in, or doing business in, the city.
- Reporting system
- No city reporting ordinance — the state transcript under RCW 19.60.040 applies
- What must be reported
- A transcript of the previous day's transactions, furnished upon request to the Spokane chief of police or the county sheriff, on their forms and in their format. Which system, if any, Spokane police prescribe was not found.
- Reporting cadence
- On request, within the time the agency specifies, not less than twenty-four hours (RCW 19.60.040).
- Holding period
- 30 daysNo city rule. The state retention period applies: thirty days after receipt (RCW 19.60.055, and RCW 19.60.057 for precious metal), and one hundred twenty days from police notification for an item reported stolen (RCW 19.60.045).
- Fingerprinting
- NoNone — with no city dealer licence there is no application to fingerprint for.
- Zoning / home office
- Not confirmed — check with the cityNot confirmed — Spokane's Land Use Standards (SMC Title 17C) were not reviewed for this edition.
- Fees
- General business licence $131, plus an employee fee of $10 per employee for 1–5 employees, $15 per employee for 6–10, and $20 per employee for 11 or more. Sole proprietors and their spouses are not counted. Trade name registration through BLS is $5.Renewal: Annual. A reduced renewal of $65.50 (plus any employee fee) applies where Spokane gross is $0 through $18,000.Source reviewed: 2026-10-03 (SMC 10.45 as displayed on the city code site; DOR Spokane city-endorsement page)
Confirm with your city
Anything marked “Not confirmed” above wasn't in the source we reviewed. Before you rely on it, confirm the permit, fee, reporting system, and holding period directly with the city office listed here, and check the sources at the bottom of this page.
Does this apply to you?
Some of these rules turn on how you actually operate. Answer a question and we’ll show what the rule says for that answer — with the citation. This is general information, not a legal determination about your business.
Do you deal in gold, silver or platinum watches more than three times a year?
Is your business inside Spokane city limits?
Things to confirm
Confidence: ConfirmedOpen items a professional should verify before you rely on this page.
- Does the general City of Spokane business licence satisfy RCW 19.60.077's requirement that a secondhand precious metal dealer hold a business licence from the local government where it is situated?
- With RCW 19.60 adopted into the Spokane Municipal Code by reference, would a violation be charged in Spokane Municipal Court?
Turn this guide into your plan
Answer a few questions about how you buy and sell. The compliance checker puts Spokane's rules together with the rest — federal, state and city — in one checklist, every step with its official source. It's free, and your plan is emailed to you.
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Permits, fees and holding periods change without notice. We'll email you when this guide is re-verified, and what changed.
Sources
- Spokane Municipal Code Ch. 10.45 Used Goods (index; 10.45.020; 10.45.040; 10.45.070) - Section 10.45.040 REPEALED (License Required) Repealed by ORD C35611 Date Passed: Monday; April 16; 2018 Effective Date: Wednesday; May 23; 2018 / Chapter index: Section 10.45.010 REPEALED (Purpose) / Section 10.45.020 Definitions / Section 10.45.030 REPEALED ('Dealer in Used Goods' Defined) / Section 10.45.040 REPEALED (License Required) / Section 10.45.050 REPEALED (Records Required) / Section 10.45.060 REPEALED (Special Regulations) / Section 10.45.070 Prohibited Acts: Penalty / 10.45.070: It is a violation of this chapter to conduct four (4) or more yard sales as defined in this chapter in a calendar year or to conduct a yard sale at a single location for longer than three (3) days. A violation of this section is a civil infraction. — retrieved 2026-10-03 · licence repealed by Ord. C35611 effective May 23; 2018
- Spokane Municipal Code Title 10 (Regulation of Activities) chapter list - read in full; no pawnbroker; secondhand; junk; jewellery or precious-metals chapter; chapters present include 10.40 Itinerant Vendors; 10.42 Solicitation; 10.45 Used Goods; 10.90 Virtual Currency Kiosks — retrieved 2026-10-03 · current as displayed
- WA DOR - Spokane city endorsement (requirements and fees) - The city of Spokane requires a license for all businesses located within city limits; or conducting business within city limits. / License fee: $131 / Employee fee: 1 through 5 employees - $10 per employee / 6 through 10 employees - $15 per employee / 11 or more employees - $20 per employee / Sole proprietors and their spouses are not considered employees and should NOT be included in the employee count/fee. / $0 through $18;000 $65.50 (reduced fee) + employee fee if applicable / Registering your business name as a trade name $5 / Activities needing additional Spokane licensing: Collection of admission. / Commercial tree work. / Entertainment; concerts; or carnivals. / For Hire Vehicle or For Hire Vehicle Operator. / Gambling. / Mobile food vendors. / Utility business; occupation; or activity. (plus short-term rentals) / Contact: City of Spokane Department of Taxes & Licenses at 509-625-6070; 808 W Spokane Falls Blvd; Spokane; WA 99201 — retrieved 2026-10-03 · current as displayed
- Spokane Municipal Code 10.58.010 (Adoption of the RCW) - The City of Spokane adopts by reference all statutes set forth in the Revised Code of Washington (RCW); as now enacted or hereinafter amended or adopted; including their penalties. — retrieved 2026-10-03 · current as displayed
- RCW Chapter 19.60 Pawnbrokers and Secondhand Dealers (full chapter) - 19.60.010(7): 'Precious metals' means gold; silver; and platinum. 19.60.010(8): 'Secondhand dealer' means every person engaged in whole or in part in the business of purchasing; selling; trading; consignment selling; or otherwise transferring for value; secondhand property including metal junk; melted metals; precious metals; whether or not the person maintains a fixed place of business within the state. Secondhand dealer also includes persons or entities conducting business; more than three times per year; at flea markets or swap meets. 19.60.010(9): 'Secondhand precious metal dealer' means any person or entity engaged in whole or in part in the commercial activity or business of purchasing; selling; trading; consignment selling; or otherwise transferring for value; more than three times per year; secondhand property that is a precious metal. 19.60.010(10): 'Secondhand property' means any item of personal property offered for sale which is not new; including metals in any form; except postage stamps; coins that are legal tender; bullion in the form of fabricated hallmarked bars; used books; and clothing of a resale value of seventy-five dollars or less; except furs. 19.60.010(11): 'Transaction' means a pledge; or the purchase of; or consignment of; or the trade of any item of personal property by a pawnbroker or a secondhand dealer from a member of the general public. 19.60.020(1)(e): A complete description of the property pledged; bought; or consigned; including the brand name; serial number; model number or name; any initials or engraving; size; pattern; and color or stone or stones ... and shall be maintained wherever that business is conducted ... for three years following the date of the transaction. 19.60.040(1): Upon request; every pawnbroker and secondhand dealer doing business in the state shall furnish a full; true; and correct transcript of the record of all transactions conducted on the preceding day. These transactions shall be recorded on such forms as may be provided and in such format as may be required by the chief of police or the county's chief law enforcement officer within a specified time not less than twenty-four hours. 19.60.045: Property held shall not be released for one hundred twenty days from the date of police notification unless released by written consent of the applicable law enforcement agency or by order of a court of competent jurisdiction. In cases where the applicable law enforcement agency has placed a verbal hold on an item; that agency must then give written notice within ten business days. The pawnbroker or secondhand dealer shall give a twenty-day written notice before the expiration of the one hundred twenty-day holding period. 19.60.055: (1) Property bought or received on consignment by any secondhand dealer with a permanent place of business in the state shall not be removed from that place of business except consigned property returned to the owner; within thirty days after the receipt of the property. (2) Property bought or received on consignment by any secondhand dealer without a permanent place of business in the state; shall be held within the city or county in which the property was received; except consigned property returned to the owner; within thirty days after receipt of the property. 19.60.057(3): Subsections (1) and (2) of this section do not apply when the property consisting of a precious metal was bought or received from a pawn shop; jeweler; secondhand dealer; or secondhand precious metal dealer who must provide a signed declaration showing the property is not stolen. Declaration: I; the undersigned; affirm under penalty of law that the property that is subject to this transaction is not to the best of my knowledge stolen property. 19.60.066: an item shall not be accepted for pledge or a secondhand purchase where the manufacturer's make; model; or serial number; personal identification number; or identifying marks engraved or etched upon an item of personal property has been removed; altered; or obliterated. 19.60.075: The regulation of pawnbrokers and secondhand dealers under this chapter is not intended to restrict political subdivisions from enacting ordinances or codes requiring the licensing of pawnbrokers and secondhand dealers or from enacting ordinances or codes which are more restrictive than the provisions of this chapter. 19.60.077: No secondhand precious metal dealer doing business in this state may operate a business without first obtaining a business license from the local government in which the business is situated. 19.60.085(3): Persons giving an allowance for the trade-in or exchange of secondhand property on the purchase of other merchandise of the same kind of greater value — retrieved 2026-10-03 · current as displayed
- WA DOR - Local Sales & Use Tax Rates Q4 2026 (Excel; alphabetical) - Effective October 1 - December 31; 2026 - columns County | Location | Location Code | Local Rate | State Rate | Combined Sales Tax: King | Seattle | 1726 | 0.0405 | 0.065 | 0.1055 / Spokane | Spokane (City) | 3210 | 0.026 | 0.065 | 0.091 (state rate 6.5%; Seattle combined 10.55%; Spokane City combined 9.1%) — retrieved 2026-10-03 · effective October 1 - December 31; 2026
Not legal advice. Confirm with your city or state office and a qualified professional.
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