License required.
Saint Paul Legislative Code § 355.01
in effectSec. 355.01. - License required.
(a) No person shall be engaged in the business of buying or selling secondhand goods or antiques of any kind in Saint Paul without a license to do so.
(b) Exhibitions. Any person desiring to have an exhibition, convention, show or exposition of secondhand goods or antiques for a limited period of time, not to exceed five (5) consecutive calendar days, shall apply for a license so to do, as hereinafter provided. The provisions of paragraphs (a) of this section shall not apply to persons exhibiting, showing, buying or selling secondhand goods or antiques at a duly licensed exhibition, convention, show or exposition. No more than twelve (12) exhibitions may be held at a single location in a license year.
(c) Multiple dealers at one location. The owner of a business, at which two (2) or more secondhand goods dealers are engaged in business by maintaining separate sales space and identifying themselves to the public as individual dealers, may obtain a multiple secondhand goods dealer license for that location. No such license shall be issued unless the following requirements are met:
(1) The business shall have a single name and address;
(2) The business shall operate in a compact and contiguous space;
(3) The business shall be under the unified control and supervision of one (1) person, partnership, firm or corporation, which shall hold the license;
(4) All sales shall be consummated at a central point or register operated by the owner of the business, and the owner shall maintain a comprehensive account of all sales.
The holder of a secondhand goods dealer license under this section, for a business with more than one (1) dealer at the same location, shall comply with all of the requirements of this chapter, including the responsibility for reporting and recordkeeping, in the same manner as any other dealer licensed under this chapter. Any dealer licensed under this section shall be responsible to its customers for any stolen or misrepresented goods sold at its place of business, in the same manner as any other dealer licensed under this chapter.
(d) Exemptions. This chapter shall not apply to the following:
(1) Any person engaged in the business of dealing in secondhand motor vehicles or secondhand parts for motor vehicles.
(2) Any person engaged in taking in secondhand goods and merchandise as part or full payment for new goods and merchandise where such business is incident to and not the primary business of such person.
(3) Any person licensed by the County of Ramsey as a precious metal dealer pursuant to Chapter 333, Laws of Minnesota for 1981.
(4) The sale of secondhand books, magazines, sound or video recordings, films or baseball cards.
(5) The sale of goods at an auction held by an auctioneer licensed under Chapter 390 of the Legislative Code.
(6) The sale of secondhand goods where all of the following are present:
a. The sale is held on property occupied as a dwelling by the seller or owned, rented or leased by a charitable or political organization;
b. The items offered for sale are owned by the occupant;
c. That no sale exceeds a period of seventy-two (72) consecutive hours;
d. That no more than three (3) sales are held in any calendar year;
e. That none of the items offered for sale shall have been purchased for resale or received on consignment for purpose of resale.
(e) Computer/electronic items. Any person who deals in second hand computer or electronic items such as computers, dvd players, compact disc players, computer game players, dvd's, compact discs, computer games, palm pilots, or other similar types of items will be required to have a separate designation on the license as a computer/electronic secondhand dealer.
(f) Antique dealers. Any person who qualifies as an antique dealer pursuant to the definition in section 355.015 shall have a separate designation on the license as a secondhand dealer-antiques.
(Code 1956, §§ 342.01, 342.12; Ord. No. 16828, 10-1-81; Ord. No. 17362, § 1, 6-5-86; C.F. No. 93-1646, § 1, 11-23-93; C.F. No. 02-612, § 1, 11-27-02)
Source: City of Saint Paul, Minnesota, City Charter, Legislative Code and Administrative Code (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/mn/st._paul/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIILECO_TITXXIXLI_CH355SEDE_S355.01LIREFetched: 11/1/2026