City of Kingston, NY Chapter 313 Pawnbrokers

[HISTORY: Adopted by the Common Council of the City of Kingston 8-7-1984 by L.L. No. 3-1984, approved 8-28-1984, as Ch. 84A of the 1984 Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]

§ 313-1 License requirements.

A. It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to carry on the business of pawnbroker in the City of Kingston, New York, without a license issued by the City Clerk.

B. It shall be the duty of the City Clerk to accept application for such licensing and to investigate the same and to cause issuance thereof only to reputable persons and to corporations controlled only by reputable persons to carry on and conduct the business of pawnbroking only at a place or premises to be specified in said license.

C. Each permit shall be good for one year from the date of its date.

D. The annual permit fee shall be at a rate set forth in the fee schedule to be established by resolution of the Common Council of this City.[1]

[Amended 9-2-2014 by L.L. No. 2-2014, approved 9-11-2014]

[1] Editor's Note: See Ch. 217, Fees.

E. A bond shall be filed with the City in the amount designated in § 41 of the General Business Law.

[Added 12-16-1999 by L.L. No. 2-2000, approved 1-3-2000[2]]

[2] Editor's Note: This local law also redesignated former Subsection E as Subsection F.

F. Such permit may be revoked by the City Clerk for misconduct on the part of the licensee or his agent after an appropriate hearing based on such charges. Such hearing shall be conducted by said City Clerk, and his decision thereon shall be final.

§ 313-2 Records to be kept; inspection of books.

Every such licensed pawnbroker shall keep a book in which shall be written, at the time of making of each loan, an account and description of the goods, articles or things pawned or pledged, the amount of money loaned thereon and the rate of interest to be paid on such loan, and the date and time of such pledge. Such books shall, at all times during business hours, be open for inspection to the City Clerk and his designees and to the Chief of Police of the City of Kingston.

§ 313-3 Rates of interest.

Interest charged shall be such as will be allowed from time to time under the terms of the General Business Law of the State of New York.

§ 313-4 Business restrictions.

A. Every pawnbroker so licensed shall cause to be printed in large type in the English language, the rates of interest authorized under and by the terms of this chapter, and shall post the table of such rates printed as herein required in a conspicuous place in the office or place of business of said pawnbroker in such manner as to be clearly visible to all persons transacting business at such location.

B. No pawnbroker shall purchase or receive any goods in pledge from any person who is actually or apparently under the age of 21 years or is in an intoxicated state or is known as an habitual drunkard.

C. No pawnbroker so licensed shall employ at such place of business any person under the age of 18 years in any capacity, which shall include accepting the pledge or pawn of merchandise or the purchase of secondhand property.

D. No goods shall be received in pawn or by pledge by any such pawnbroker, his servants, agents and/or employees before 7:00 a.m. or after 8:00 p.m. of any day nor at any time on Sundays.

E. No pawnbroker shall accept in pawn or pledge any partly manufactured article of wearing apparel, any article intended for consumption or otherwise, or any material plainly intended for the manufacture of said article.

§ 313-5 Daily reports.

Every pawnbroker so licensed shall prepare a written report for the Police Department of the City of Kingston before 10:00 a.m. of every business day, upon blank forms to be furnished by said Department, wherein shall be shown a description of all articles purchased or received in pawn during the last preceding business day, together with the pawn ticket numbers or memorandum numbers issued therefor, the amount paid, loaned or advanced thereon, and a physical description of the person or persons from whom said property or merchandise was purchased or accepted in pawn or by pledge. In the event that any said articles of merchandise so purchased or received in pawn or by pledge shall be found to be reported as stolen or actually stolen, then said pawnbroker shall, upon request of the Police Department of the City of Kingston, report in writing the name and residence of the person from whom said article of merchandise was purchased or received in pawn or by pledge.

§ 313-6 Penalties for offenses.

Any person who shall violate any of the provisions of this chapter shall be guilty of a Class B misdemeanor and shall, upon conviction thereof, be subject to a fine not exceeding $500 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

§ 313-7 When effective.

This chapter shall take effect immediately.