Columbia License required ordinance (§ 11-196)
Chapter 11: Health and Sanitation · Article VI. Junk Dealers and Junkyards
In short: You must get a license from the business license administrator, with the director's approval, before building, altering, operating or maintaining a junkyard or acting as a junk dealer in the city, even if it's part of another business.
Our plain-English summary, not the official text or legal advice. The ordinance below is what counts.
It shall be unlawful for any person hereafter to construct, erect, enlarge, alter, repair, move, relocate, improve, remove, convert, equip, use, operate, or maintain any junkyard or to act as a junk dealer in the city, whether personally, by agents or employees, singly, or along with some other business or enterprise, without first having obtained a license therefor from the business license administrator, upon approval of the director.
Official source: City of Columbia official Code of Ordinances (online): look up Sec. 11-196
Text from Supplement 139 (September 3, 2026).
Last checked November 1, 2026. The city's official copy controls; this page is a reading copy, not legal advice.