The Select Board may license suitable persons to be dealers in and keepers of shops for the purchase, sale or barter of junk, old metals or secondhand articles in the Town. It may also license suitable persons as junk collectors, to collect, by purchase or otherwise, junk, old metals and secondhand articles from place to place in the Town. It may also provide that such shops and all articles or merchandise in any place, vehicle or receptacle used for the collection or keeping of the articles aforesaid may be examined at all times by the Select Board or by any person by it authorized so to do. The Board may also issue such rules, regulations and restrictions as it deems necessary and appropriate, and such rules, regulations and restrictions shall be indicated in all licenses. The Board may revoke any license issued hereunder at its discretion.
[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Meeting of the Town of Merrimac as Art. VIIB of the 2016 General Bylaws. Amendments noted where applicable.]
Any dealer in or keeper of a shop for the purchase, sale or barter of junk, old metals, or secondhand articles shall be required to keep those articles within an enclosed and roofed structure unless he is permitted to do otherwise, in writing, by the Select Board.
Every keeper of a shop for the purchase, sale or barter of junk, old metals or secondhand articles within the limits of the Town shall keep a book in which shall be written, at the time of every purchase of any such articles, a description thereof; the name, age and residence of the person from whom and the day and hour when such a purchase was made. Such book shall at all times be open to the inspection of the Select Board and of any person by it authorized to make such inspection. Every keeper of such shop shall put in a suitable and conspicuous place on their shop a sign having their name and occupation legibly inscribed thereon in large letters. Such shop and all articles of merchandise therein may at all times by examined by the Select Board or by any person by it authorized to make such examination, and no keeper of such shop and no junk collector shall, directly or indirectly, either purchase or receive by way of barter or exchange any of the articles aforesaid of a minor, apprentice, knowing and having reason to believe them to be such, and no article purchased or received by such shopkeeper shall be sold until at least one week from the date of its purchase or receipts has elapsed.
No person shall use any building, enclosure or other structure for the storage, sale or keeping of rags, waste, paper stock, old clothing or any flammable material when such building, structure or enclosure is within 500 feet of any other building; nor in any building, structure or enclosure beyond that distance from another building without a written license therefor from the Select Board.
No occupier or owner of land shall permit more than one unregistered used motor vehicle within public view on land owned or occupied by them, unless such used unregistered motor vehicles are used regularly on the premises or unless such unregistered used motor vehicles are displayed by a properly licensed person or persons or corporation for the purpose of selling the same. Violation of this section shall be fined $20 for each offense. Every day that such offending vehicles shall be allowed to remain on the premises after notice by the Select Board shall be considered a separate offense.