Secondhand Personal Property

The County's Secondhand Personal Property law requires a dealer in secondhand personal property to obtain a license from the Office of Consumer Protection, report all transactions to the Police and hold all property received for a certain period of time after reporting the transaction. This law provides the Police with a means of checking stolen property reports against the list of secondhand personal property received or sold by dealers and, as such, helps identify suspects who commit crimes in the County.

Who must be licensed?

Any person in the business of buying, receiving, or marketing secondhand personal property or acting as an auctioneer in Montgomery County must obtain a Secondhand Personal Property license. This law was amended effective April 7, 2009, to clarify that the law applies to individuals making or assisting in sales over the internet.

Who is exempt from licensing?

Any person that buys personal property at a public sale is exempt from licensing.

Personal property includes:

Radios and other audio equipment; televisions and other video equipment; photographic, optical and computer equipment; typewriters, calculators and other electronic or electrical home or office appliances, machines or equipment; firearms; bicycles; jewelry; furs, leather goods; watches; paintings; fine or historic china, crystal, glass or porcelain; objets d’art; power tools; carpets and rugs; musical instruments; and any item serialized, marked for identification purposes, or engraved.

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