[HISTORY: Adopted by the Council of the City of Schenectady 2-9-1970 by Ord. No. 15274.[1] Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Transient merchants — See Ch. 179.
Peddlers and vendors — See Ch. 194.
Special sales — See Ch. 214.
[1]
Editor's Note: The provisions of this chapter are derived from Ch. 7 of the former Revised Ordinances, adopted 2-9-1970 by Ord. No. 15274.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
PUBLIC AUCTIONEER
Includes any person selling or offering for sale, for another or for himself, at public auction any goods, wares, merchandise or real or personal property of any description, except as herein provided.
It shall be unlawful for any person to conduct or to represent or circulate or place before the public any announcement that he conducts the business of a public auctioneer without first having obtained and paid for and having in full force and effect a license therefor as herein provided.
[Amended 4-11-1983 by Ord. No. 83-24]
Nothing herein contained shall apply to judicial sales or sales by public officers in the manner prescribed by law; nor shall anything herein contained apply to sales by executors, administrators, trustees under deed of assignment or by lienors acting personally in their official capacity; nor shall any license be required for the conduct of a public auction by nonprofit, religious or charitable organizations for fundraising activities.
[Amended 10-29-1973 by Ord. No. 16216]
Every person desiring to procure a license as herein provided shall file with the Office of Consumer Protection a verified petition, which shall contain the name; business and residence addresses of the applicant; the length of time such applicant has resided in the City; his previous employment and where; whether married or single; whether he has ever been convicted of a misdemeanor or felony, and, if so, what offense, when and in what court; whether he has, either alone or with someone else, ever engaged in the business of public auctioneer and, if so, when and where. Every applicant for such a license shall furnish to the Office of Consumer Protection evidence that he has complied with the laws of the State of New York regulating auctions and auctioneers. No person shall receive or be entitled to receive a license pursuant to this article unless he is a person of good moral character and shall furnish satisfactory evidence thereof to the Office of Consumer Protection. Such petition shall be signed and verified before a notary public or other official authorized to administer oaths in the City.
[Amended 9-8-1997 by Ord. No. 97-25]
An application for a license hereunder shall be accompanied by a bond to the City in the penal sum of $50,000, approved as to form, sufficiency and validity by the Corporation Counsel, conditioned that the applicant will, if granted a license, lawfully perform his duties as such public auctioneer as required by law and ordinances heretofore or hereafter enacted and render such accounts and pay such fees and duties as may be required of him by law.
[Amended 10-29-1973 by Ord. No. 16216]
Upon the filing of the petition and bond as provided in previous sections, the Office of Consumer Protection shall ascertain if the applicant is a person of good character and repute and may, upon his approval of such application and the payment to the City of the license fee hereinafter provided, issue to the applicant a license to engage in the business of public auctioneer.
All public auctioneers' licenses shall be numbered in the order in which they are issued and shall state clearly the date of issuance, the fee paid and the name and business 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.
No public auctioneer's license shall be used by any person other than the original licensee, and any holder of such license who permits it to be used by another person and any person who uses such license granted to another person shall be guilty of a violation of this article.
[Amended 10-29-1973 by Ord. No. 16216]
Whenever a public auctioneer's license shall be lost or destroyed, without fault on the part of the holder, a duplicate license in lieu thereof under the original petition and bond may be issued by the Director of the Office of Consumer Protection 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.
[Amended 3-18-1991 by Ord. No. 91-11]
The license fee for a public auctioneer shall be $150 per annum, payable at the time the license is issued.
[Amended 10-29-1973 by Ord. No. 16216]
A. 
Whenever the Director of the Office of Consumer Protection believes that sufficient cause exists for the revocation of a license, he may, upon his own motion or upon complaint made by any person, revoke any license granted under the provisions of this article; provided, however, that when a license is revoked, the Director of the Office of Consumer Protection shall notify the licensee in writing and give the reasons for such revocation.
B. 
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 in the discretion of the Director of the Office of Consumer Protection within a period of one year of the date of such revocation.
C. 
When a license is revoked as herein provided, the holder shall surrender the same to the Director of the Office of Consumer Protection or to his duly authorized agents or police officials.
No auctioneer shall make any false representation as to the character, quality, condition, previous history, value or ownership of any property offered for sale.
No auctioneer shall bid on any property offered for sale by himself, and no person shall act as an accomplice, capper, booster or shiller for the purpose of making mock or false bids at any auction.
No auctioneer shall employ a bellman, crier, instrument of music or means of attracting the attention of passersby other than a sign or flag which shall bear the license number, except as provided by law or ordinance.
No auctioneer shall receive for sale by auction or sell by auction any goods, wares or merchandise from or to any minor, knowing him to be such.
A. 
Every public auctioneer shall, upon the receipt or acceptance by him of any goods for the purpose of sale at auction and before offering the same or any part thereof for sale at auction, write or cause to be written in a book to be kept by him for the purpose:
(1) 
The name and address of the person who employed him to sell such goods at auction.
(2) 
The name and address of the person from whom such public auctioneer received or accepted such goods.
(3) 
The name and address of the person who was the owner, the authorized agent of the owner or the consignor of such goods, immediately prior to the receipt or acceptance for the purpose of sale at auction of the same by such public auctioneer.
(4) 
The location, with street and number, if any, of such goods, immediately prior to the receipt or acceptance of the same by such public auctioneer for the purpose of sale at auction.
(5) 
The date of the receipt or acceptance by such public auctioneer of such goods for the purpose of sale at auction.
(6) 
The place, with street and number, if any, in which such goods are to be held, kept or stored until sold or offered for sale at auction.
(7) 
The place, with street and number, if any, in which such goods are to be sold or offered for sale at auction.
(8) 
A description of such goods, the quantity thereof and the distinctive marks thereon, if any.
(9) 
The terms and conditions upon which such public auctioneer receives or accepts such goods for sale at auction.
B. 
The expression "goods," as used in this section, signifies any goods, wares, work of art, commodity, compound or thing, chattels, merchandise or personal property which may be lawfully kept or offered for sale, but shall not include goods damaged at sea or by fire and sold or to be sold for the benefit of the owners, insurers or for the account of whom it may concern or goods sold by virtue of judicial decree. Nothing in this section shall apply to the sale of real property at auction.
[Amended 10-29-1973 by Ord. No. 16216]
Books required to be kept by this article and the entries therein, made as provided in the preceding section, shall, at all reasonable times, be open to the inspection of the Office of Consumer Protection, the Chief of Police and any person who shall be duly authorized by either of them.
A public auctioneer's license shall not be granted to any person who has been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude or laws of the State of New York or ordinances of the City relating to auctions and auctioneers.
No person having a license granted under this article shall delegate his power to any clerk, partner or person, but the privilege given shall be personal to the person named in the license and shall be exercised by him alone.
Any person who shall conduct, engage in, carry on or represent or announce himself as conducting, engaging in or carrying on the business of a public auctioneer without having first obtained a license as provided for in this chapter or who 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 a public auctioneer shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. 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.
No person, whether acting as principal or agent or other, shall conduct any such public auction in the City without first obtaining a license as provided herein.
[Amended 10-29-1973 by Ord. No. 16216]
Any person applying for a license to conduct any public auction in the City shall apply for such license by verified petition to the Director of the Office of Consumer Protection, stating his name, residence or place of business and the street number of the place where the proposed auction is to take place. There shall accompany such petition and be made a part thereof an inventory in detail of the goods which are to be sold and what facts are to be represented upon said sale as to such goods. The applicant shall also furnish to accompany said petition such other and further information as shall be necessary to establish the truth of the facts stated in said petition.
[Amended 5-8-1978 by Ord. No. 78-28]
No license granted under this article may permit such auction sale to be held outdoors after 9:00 p.m. or indoors after 12:00 midnight and, in either case, before 8:00 a.m.
A licensee under this article shall, at all times during the conduct of such public auctions, as shall be operated under license issued in accordance with this article, allow an inspection to be made by an official of the City for the purpose of ascertaining whether or not the goods which are being sold comply with the representations made concerning said goods, said inspection to be made during business hours.
[Amended 10-29-1973 by Ord. No. 16216]
The granting of a license under this article shall rest in the discretion of the Director of the Office of Consumer Protection. If, for any good and sufficient reason, after investigation, the Director of the Office of Consumer Protection, in his opinion, deems the granting of such license inadvisable for the best interest of the City, he shall not issue it.
A. 
Before the issuing of an auction license there shall be paid to the Office of the Consumer Protection a license fee of $40 per day, which shall be sufficient to cover the cost of issuing said licenses and the cost of inspections under this article and any other expense to the City under this article.
[Amended 10-29-1973 by Ord. No. 16216; 12-22-1975 by Ord. No. 16944; 11-30-1987 by Ord. No. 87-75; 3-18-1991 by Ord. No. 91-11; 1-13-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-1]
B. 
No license shall be granted for a longer period than 15 days.
[Amended 10-29-1973 by Ord. No. 16216]
The Office of Consumer Protection, in its discretion, may, for any good and sufficient reason, revoke the license granted under the provisions of this article.