[HISTORY: Adopted by the Municipal Council of the City of
Taunton as Rev. Ords. 1964, §§ 10-28 to 10-30A (Ch.
12, Art. IX, of the 2010 Code). Amendments noted where applicable.]
The Municipal Council shall license suitable persons to be pawnbrokers.
Applications for such license shall be filed at the office of the
City Clerk and shall be referred to and reported upon by the Committee
on Police and License. The City Clerk shall issue such licenses authorized
by the Council upon the payment of a fee of $100. Each such license
shall run for a period of one year and shall expire upon May 1 following.
The licensee shall, at the time of receiving such license, file with
the City Clerk a bond in accordance with MGL c. 140, § 77.
[Amended 1-2-1979]
A.
Every pawnbroker shall keep a bound book with pages numbered consecutively
in which, at the time of making a loan, shall be legibly written in
the English language an account and description, including all distinguishing
marks and numbers, of the articles pawned, the amount of money loaned
thereon, and time of pawning them, the rate of interest to be paid
on such loan, and the name, age, residence, including the street,
number, city or town, and the registration number of the vehicle used
by the person pawning such articles, and shall furnish a correct record
of such transactions, containing all such information, once a week,
or more frequently if required, to the licensing authorities or to
any person designated by them. Every pawnbroker shall also photograph
any person pawning articles and keep the photographs with said books
as part of his/her records.
B.
It shall be the licensee's responsibility to require satisfactory
identification of the person pawning such article.
C.
Said bound book shall be kept by the licensee for at least one year
from the date of the last entry recorded in the same.
D.
Any violation of any provision of this chapter shall be a valid reason for immediate revocation of said license. In addition, whoever violates any provision of any section under this chapter shall be punished as provided by § 1-5 of these Revised Ordinances. Each unlawful act, transaction or omission to comply with any provision shall constitute a separate offense.
Every pawnbroker shall, at the time of making such loans, deliver to the person who pawns any article a memorandum or note signed by the pawnbroker and containing the substance of the entry required by § 329-2. No charge shall be made or required by any pawnbroker for such entry, memorandum or note.
[Amended 11-15-1977]
A.
Every pawnbroker shall, at the time of making such loans, completely
disclose the interest rate to be charged on said loan, and in no event
shall a pawnbroker charge or receive an interest rate greater than
that fixed by this section. The maximum interest rate to be allowed
under this section is 18% per year, or 4.5% per month for four months.
B.
Any pawnbroker who violates any provision of this or the preceding
sections shall be punished in accordance with the provisions of MGL
c. 140.
[Added 1-2-1979]
No person who holds a license under the provisions of this chapter, nor any of the employees or agents, shall, directly or indirectly, conduct any transactions with any minor, knowing or having reason to believe the person to be such. It shall be the licensee's responsibility to require satisfactory proof of age. Violations of this section shall be punishable in accordance with § 329-2.
