AUCTION LICENSES

“007 … licensed to thrill”

In most states, if you provide any remuneration to your auctioneer, then they must be licensed to auction in your State. Auction licenses are issued for a single State – so for example, an auctioneer who is licensed in Georgia cannot legally conduct an auction in Florida, unless they also obtain a Florida State auctioneers license.

Beware of your liability – never employ an unlicensed auctioneer. Always insist on seeing proof that your auctioneer holds current licenses to operate in your State.

It is often a good sign if your auctioneer is concurrently licensed to operate in several states. Auction licenses cost money to obtain and maintain, so usually auctioneers only have licenses for the states where they operate.

Also, be aware of the significant differences between an “Auctioneer” license and an “Auction Business” license. Usually, you can obtain an Auction Business license without any training, examination or experience – it is simply a license to operate a business in a particular State; it does NOT permit you to be an auctioneer. In contrast, an Auctioneer license usually requires attendance on a State sanctioned course and passing a State exam, or reciprocity for having done this in a particular State.

In many states, if you hold an auction at your fundraising function, your auctioneer’s license numbers must be included in any advertising material and in your program / catalog. Also, their licenses must be displayed at your auction.