[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the Town of Rotterdam 4-25-2012 by L.L. No.
1-2012. Amendments noted where applicable.]
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
Includes any person dealing in the purchase or sale of any
secondhand radios, televisions, household appliances, either electric
or mechanical, automobile accessories or parts, including tires, office
furniture, business machines and secondhand articles of whatsoever
nature, or dealing in the purchase or sale of any secondhand manufactured
article composed wholly or in part of gold, silver, platinum or other
metal, or in the purchase or sale of old gold, silver or platinum,
or dealing in the purchase of articles or things comprised of gold,
silver or platinum for the purpose of melting or refining, or engaged
in melting precious metals for the purpose of selling, or in the purchase
or sale of pawnbrokers' tickets or other evidence of pledged
articles or, not being a pawnbroker, who deals in the redemption or
sale of pledged articles. Nothing contained in this chapter shall
be construed to apply to household furniture and furnishings, pianos,
books, magazines, tapestries, burlaps, paintings, drawings, etchings,
engravings or automobiles; or to exchanges, returns or credits of
merchandise when the article or articles exchanged, returned or credited
are accepted in full or part payment for new merchandise; or to the
first purchase or sale in the Town of any imported secondhand articles.
Includes one or more persons of either sex, natural persons,
corporations, partnerships, associations, joint venture, joint-stock
companies and all other entities of any kind who act as a principal,
broker or agent.
No person, either as principal, agent or employee, shall within
the limits of the Town establish, engage in or carry on the business
of dealing in secondhand articles, either separately or in connection
with some other business, without first having obtained and paid for
and having in full force and effect a license as herein provided.
A.
Every person desiring to procure a license, as herein provided, shall
file with the Town Clerk a written application upon a blank form prepared
and furnished by the Town of Rotterdam. Such application shall contain
the names and residences of the applicant, if an individual, partnership
or firm, or the names and residences of the principal officers if
the applicant is an association or corporation. Such applicant shall
also describe in detail the character of the business in which he,
they or it desires to engage. The application shall also state the
following:
(1)
The length of time such applicant or applicants, if an individual,
firm or partnership, or the manager or person in charge, if the applicant
is a firm, partnership, corporation or association, has or have resided
in the Town of Rotterdam, his, her or their place of previous employment,
whether he, she or they or any of them have been convicted of a felony
or misdemeanor and, if so, what offense, when and in what court of
law.
(2)
The premises where such business is to be located or carried on,
giving street and number.
(3)
A valid telephone number at which the applicant shall be reachable
at all times, specifically in case of emergency.
(4)
Any necessary site plan review required by the Code or Town Law of
the State of New York.
(5)
Whether the applicant or applicants or manager had either alone or
with someone else previously been a dealer in secondhand articles.
(6)
A full criminal background check performed by an approved agency
of the Rotterdam Police Department's choosing, with any additional
associated costs to be paid by the applicant.
B.
Such application shall be signed and acknowledged before a notary
public.
When an application is filed, the Town Clerk shall cause an
investigation to be made by the Chief of Police to ascertain whether
the applicant or applicants is or are of good character and repute.
The Chief of Police shall furnish to the Town Clerk the information
derived from his/her investigation, within a reasonable time, accompanied
by a recommendation as to whether a license should be granted or refused.
A.
Upon the filing of the application the Town Clerk may, upon his or her approval of such application, issue to the applicant a license to engage in the business as provided in § 229-2.
B.
All licenses shall be numbered in the order in which they are issued
and shall state clearly the location of the place of business in which
the person receiving such license shall be authorized to establish,
engage in or carry on the business, the kind of business, the dates
of issuance and expiration of the license and the name and address
of the licensee.
C.
No applicant to whom a license has been refused shall make further
application until a period of at least one year shall have elapsed
since the last previous rejection unless he, she or they can show
that the reason for such rejection no longer exists.
A.
Every dealer in secondhand articles as defined in § 229-1 shall pay an annual license fee of $250 for each established place of business.
B.
All licenses shall be issued as of May 1 and shall continue in force
until April 30 next succeeding the date of issuance thereof, unless
sooner revoked by the Town Clerk.
C.
No license or badge, as hereinafter required, shall be used by any
person other than the original licensee, and any holder of such license
or badge who permits it to be used by any other person, and any person
who uses such license or badge granted to any other person, shall
be guilty of a violation of this chapter.
D.
Whenever a license or badge shall be lost or destroyed without fault
on the part of the holder or his or her agent or employee, a duplicate
license or badge in lieu thereof under the original application may
be issued by the Town Clerk in his or her discretion, upon the filing
with him or her of an affidavit by the licensee, setting forth the
circumstances of the loss and what, if any, search has been made for
its recovery.
E.
No person shall destroy, deface or injure a license or badge in any
manner or change the name, number or dates thereon.
The Chief of Police may at any time, for such cause as he or
she upon investigation deems sufficient, request that the Town Clerk
revoke any license granted under the provisions of this chapter. Whenever
any license shall be so revoked, no refund of any unearned portion
thereof shall be made, and no license shall be granted to any person
whose license has been revoked within a period of two years from the
date of such revocation. Notice of such revocation shall be served
by the Town Clerk upon the person named in the application by mailing
the same to the address given in the application by first-class and
certified mail.
In case any licensee shall move his or her place of business
from the place designated in the license, he or she shall immediately
thereupon give notice to the Town Clerk and have the same endorsed
on the license.
A.
Every dealer in secondhand articles shall keep, in a computerized
ledger, excel spreadsheet or a compatible format which shall be legibly
written and in English, at the time of every purchase or sale, a description
of every article so purchased or sold, the number or numbers and any
monograms, inscriptions or other marks of identification that may
appear on the article, a description of the articles or pieces comprising
old gold, silver, platinum or other metal, and any monograms, inscriptions
or marks of identification thereon, the name, residence, telephone
number and general description of the person from whom such purchase
was made or to whom sold, the sum paid, and the day and hour of the
purchase or sale, including articles or things purchased or received
for the purpose of refining or smelting by persons principally engaged
in such business.
B.
In the case of the purchase or sale of a pawnbroker ticket or other
evidence of a pledged article, or a redemption or sale of a pledged
article, there shall be written in such book at the time of such purchase,
sale or redemption:
(1)
The name and address of the person who issued such ticket or other
evidence.
(2)
The pledge number of such pawn ticket or other evidence.
(3)
The name and address of the pledger as it appears on such pawn ticket
or other evidence.
(4)
The amount loaned or advanced as it appears on such pawn ticket or
other evidence.
(5)
The day and hour of such purchase, sale or redemption, as the case
may be.
(6)
The name, residence, telephone number and general description of
the person from whom or to whom the redeemed article is purchased
or sold, as the case may be.
(7)
The sum paid or received from such pawn ticket or other evidence,
or the sum paid or received for the redeemed article or pledge.
(8)
Such description of a pledged article as appears on such pawn ticket
or other evidence and an accurate description of every redeemed pledged
article.
C.
Such information shall at all reasonable times be open to inspection
by any police officer, the Town Clerk, the Chief of Police or any
person duly authorized, in writing, for such purpose by the Town Clerk.
No entry in such documents shall be erased, obliterated, altered or
defaced.
It shall be the duty of every licensed dealer in secondhand
articles to make or cause to be made to the Chief of Police or his
or her representative every day, except Sunday, before the hour of
12:00 noon, a copy of the records required to be kept in the preceding
section of all goods, articles or things, or any part thereof, purchased,
received or sold in the course of the business of the dealer on the
preceding day, or, if that day is Sunday, on the next preceding days.
All reports required in this section shall be made on a blank form
prepared and furnished by the Chief of Police and shall contain such
information as the Chief of Police may require. Each report shall
be signed by the licensee or his or her representative and by the
person from whom the purchase was made. The Chief of Police shall
cause a record to be kept of all such reports, showing the date and
time of receipt of each report, the name of the licensee making the
report and his or her address. The contents of such report shall not
be communicated to any person for the purpose of publication but shall
be used by the Chief of Police and others in authority to protect
the public interest and detect crime.
A.
No licensee shall carry on business at any other place than the one
designated in his or her license.
B.
No dealer in secondhand articles shall continue to carry on business
after his or her license is revoked or shall have expired.
C.
No dealer in secondhand articles shall purchase any secondhand goods,
articles or things whatsoever from any person under the age of 18
years.
D.
No articles or things that have already been kept by the dealer or
pawnbroker for a period of time, in accordance with the provisions
of law or this chapter, or have been received from persons known to
be jewelers, dealers, banking institutions, executors or administrators,
shall be sold or disposed of by any dealer in secondhand articles
until the expiration of 10 business days after such purchase or redemption,
except that all secondhand articles or things purchased for the purpose
of melting or refining by persons principally engaged in such business
from persons not jewelers or dealers shall not be sold, refined, melted
or disposed of until the expiration of 10 business days after such
purchase; and no such dealer shall receive any article by way of pledge
or pawn or employ any subterfuge for receiving goods as security for
the advancement of money.
E.
No dealer in secondhand articles, while licensed as such, shall be
licensed as pawnbroker or junk dealer or secondhand automobile dealer;
nor shall any sign or other device or subterfuge be displayed, used
or employed by any dealer in secondhand articles in or about the premises
where such business is conducted which in anywise resembles the emblem
or sign commonly used by pawnbrokers, or which is intended to give
the appearance that the business conducted on such premises is, or
is connected with, the business of a pawnbroker and calculated so
to mislead; nor shall there be any sign displayed which is calculated
to mislead.
F.
A licensee shall allow his or her place of business and all secondhand
articles therein to be at all reasonable times examined by any member
of the Police Department.
G.
Every dealer in secondhand articles shall at the time of making any purchase attach a properly numbered tag to, or otherwise legibly number, each article bought and shall make entry of such number in the computerized document provided for in § 229-9.
H.
Every licensee shall post in a conspicuous place in his or her place
of business a copy of this chapter to be furnished by the Police Department.
I.
No licensee shall buy any secondhand article of any kind which is distinctly and plainly marked as being the property of any firm or corporation other than the person offering to sell the same, unless the person offering to sell the same shall show satisfactory evidence, in writing, that he or she is the legal and lawful owner of such property. Such written evidence shall be pasted in the book provided for in § 229-9.
J.
No licensee shall furnish his or her license to any other person
to engage in the sale of secondhand items.
In case any suspicious or known dishonest person shall offer
for sale to any dealer in secondhand articles, his or her employee,
agent or servant any article of value and he or she has reason to
believe from any circumstance that the same has been stolen or acquired
by dishonest means, it shall be his or her duty to report the same
at once to the police.
It shall be the duty of the Police Department to furnish from time to time to every dealer in secondhand articles a list of all articles reported to the Police Department as lost or stolen. If the Police Department shall notify a licensed dealer that any goods, articles or things have been lost or stolen, and if such goods, articles or things, or any or part of such answering to the description of the notice shall then be or shall thereafter be presented to any person, as defined by § 229-1, licensed under the terms hereof, he shall, upon receiving notice thereof, immediately thereafter, as a supplement to his or her daily report for that day to the Chief of Police, give information, in writing, that certain goods, articles or things listed by the police are in his or her possession and shall not hereafter dispose of the same except upon written authority so to do from the Chief of Police. Every dealer in secondhand articles who shall have or receive any goods, articles or things lost or stolen, or alleged or supposed to have been lost or stolen, shall exhibit the same on demand to any police officer or any person duly authorized by the Chief of Police, in writing, for such purpose who shall exhibit such written authority to the dealer.
A.
Any person who, himself or herself or by his or her clerk, agent
or employee, shall establish, engage in or carry on the business of
dealer in secondhand articles without a license, or shall violate
any of the provisions of this chapter, or who, having had his or her
license revoked, shall continue to engage in or carry on the business
of dealer in secondhand articles, shall, upon conviction thereof,
be subject to a fine of not less than $500 nor more than $1,000 or
to imprisonment for not more than one year, or to both such fine and
imprisonment; and each day on which such violation continues shall
constitute a separate offense. In addition to the penalty imposed,
the license of the person violating the same shall be canceled or
revoked.
B.
All ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict with the provisions
of this chapter arc hereby repealed.
C.
This chapter shall take effect immediately.
