[HISTORY: Adopted by the Common Council of the City of Albany 7-18-1983
by L.L. No. 2-1983 as Ch. VII, Art. II, Div. 10, of the 1983 Code. 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; nor 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; nor to the first purchase or sale in the City of any imported
secondhand articles.
[Amended 4-7-2008 by Ord. No. 21.31.08; 5-5-2008
by Ord. No. 39.51.08(MC)(UC)]
Includes one or more persons of either sex, natural persons, corporations,
partnerships, associations, joint-stock companies and all other entities of
any kind capable of being used.
No person, either as principal, agent or employee, shall within the
limits of the City of Albany 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 City Clerk a written application upon a blank
form prepared and furnished by the City. 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 City of Albany, his or their place of previous employment,
whether he or they or any of them have been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor
and, if so, what offense, when and in what court.
(2)
The premises where such business is to be located or
carried on, giving street and number.
(3)
Whether the applicant or applicants or manager had either
alone or with someone else previously been a dealer in secondhand articles.
B.
Such application shall be signed and acknowledged before
a notary public or other official authorized to administer oaths in the City
of Albany.
[Amended 4-7-2008 by Ord. No. 21.31.08; 5-5-2008
by Ord. No. 39.51.08(MC)(UC)]
When an application is filed, the City 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 and by the Chief of the Fire Department
to ascertain whether proper precautions against danger from fire, both within
and without the premises named in the application, have been taken. Both officials
shall furnish to the City Clerk the information derived from their investigation,
accompanied by a recommendation as to whether a license should be granted
or refused.
Upon the filing of the application, bond and information as provided in the previous section, the City Clerk may, upon his approval of such application and bond as to the sufficiency or surety or sureties or collateral security and the payment to the City of the license fee hereinafter provided, issue to the applicant a license to engage in the business as provided in § 293-2. 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. No applicant to whom a license has been refused shall make further application until a period of at least six months shall have elapsed since the last previous rejection unless he can show that the reason for such rejection no longer exists.
[Amended 1-16-1984]
A.
Every dealer in secondhand articles as defined in § 293-1 shall pay an annual license fee of $200 for each established place of business.
[Amended 11-25-2002 by Ord. No. 42.112.02; 5-19-2008 by Ord. No. 25.42.08]
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 City 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 agent or employee, a duplicate
license or badge in lieu thereof under the original application and bond may
be issued by the City Clerk in his discretion, upon the filing with him 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 City Clerk may, at any time, for such cause as he, upon investigation,
deems sufficient, 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 City
Clerk upon the person named in the application by mailing the same to the
address given in the application.
In case any licensee shall move his place of business from the place
designated in the license, he shall immediately thereupon give notice to the
City Clerk and have the same endorsed on the license.
A.
Every dealer in secondhand articles shall keep in a substantial
bound book in which shall be legibly written in ink 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 and general
description of the person from whom such purchase was made or to whom sold,
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 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 book shall at all reasonable times be open to the
inspection of any police officer, the City Clerk, the Police Chief or any
Magistrate of the City or any person duly authorized in writing for such purpose
by the City Clerk. No entry in such book shall be erased, obliterated, altered
or defaced.
[Amended 4-7-2008 by Ord. No. 21.31.08; 5-5-2008
by Ord. No. 39.51.08(MC)(UC)]
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 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 two 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 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 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 license.
B.
No dealer in secondhand articles shall continue to carry
on business after his 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.
[Amended 3-2-1998 by Ord.
No. 10.21.98]
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.
[Amended 4-7-2008 by Ord. No. 21.31.08; 5-5-2008
by Ord. No. 39.51.08(MC)(UC)]
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 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 book provided for in § 293-9.
H.
Every licensee shall post in a conspicuous place in his
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 is the legal and lawful owner of such property. Such written evidence shall be pasted in the book provided for in § 293-9.
In case any suspicious or known dishonest person shall offer for sale
to any dealer in secondhand articles, his employee, agent or servant any article
of value and he has reason to believe from any circumstance that the same
has been stolen or acquired by dishonest means, it shall be his 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 such or part of such,
answering to the description of the notice shall then be or shall thereafter
come into the possession of any person licensed under the terms hereof, he
shall, upon receiving notice thereof, immediately thereafter, as a supplement
to his 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 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 Magistrate of the City 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 by his 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 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 $50 nor more than $200 or to
imprisonment for not more than six months, or to both such fine and imprisonment;
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, and the bond upon such license shall be
forfeited. Upon such forfeiture, the amount of the bond shall thereupon become
due and payable to the City of Albany, and the amount thereof may be received
in a civil action based upon such forfeiture.
[Amended 5-19-2008 by Ord. No. 25.42.08]
B.
All ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict with
the provisions of this chapter are hereby repealed.
C.
This chapter shall take effect immediately.
