Edison, NJ Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)
Key Facts
- Old license fee
- $15/year pawnbroker license under Sec. 11-5.5
- New license fee
- $100/year precious-metals/pawn license, Sec. 11-16.6
- Registration
- Fingerprints and photo of day-to-day manager required
- Record retention
- Bound ledger kept two years, Sec. 11-16.11
- Police reporting
- Report every purchase within 24 hours
- Resale hold
- 10-day hold before selling or melting items
Summary
Anyone operating as a pawnbroker, auctioneer or junk dealer in Edison Township needs a Township Clerk license under Code Section 11-5.1, and anyone buying precious metals, gems, secondhand goods or pledges, pawnbrokers included, must separately register under Section 11-16, submit fingerprints, keep a bound purchase log, and hold every item for ten days before reselling it so police can check for stolen goods.
§ 11-5.1. License Required. It shall not be lawful for any person or persons to carry on or conduct the business of porter, auctioneer, pawnbroker, junk shopkeeper, junk dealer, billposter, keeper of bathhouses or scavenger within the Township without having first obtained a license from the Township Clerk. ... § 11-16.2. Purpose and Intent. The purpose and intent of this Section 11-16 is to provide licensing and regulation of individuals dealing in precious metals, gems, secondhand goods and pawn brokering to protect the residents of Edison ... § 11-16.6. Fee; Term. The annual fee for the license shall be one hundred ($100.00) dollars. All such licenses shall be issued for a period of one (1) year commencing January 1 and expiring December 31 next following the date of issuance ... § 11-16.13. Prohibition. No dealer shall sell, melt, change the form of or dispose of any articles purchased or received for a period of ten (10) days from the date the notification is made to the Chief of Police or his designee.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4904708; v19 updated 2026-03-25; through 03-25-2026).
Full Breakdown
Edison layers two ordinances onto the pawn trade. 1 in the Auctioneers, Pawnbrokers, Junk Dealers article, makes it unlawful to carry on or conduct the business of porter, auctioneer, pawnbroker, junk shopkeeper, junk dealer, billposter, keeper of bathhouses or scavenger within the Township without having first obtained a license from the Township Clerk. 5, and a licensee running an auto wrecking or junkyard operation instead pays $100 per year. A. 51:6A-1 et seq. 4. 6. 10. 13, giving police a window to match items against stolen-property reports.
Violations & Fines
Operating without either license is punishable under the Township's general penalty, Section 1-5.1: up to a $2,000 fine, up to 90 days in jail, or up to 90 days of community service. Section 11-16.14 applies that same general penalty to violating any precious-metals or pawnbroker requirement, from skipping the fingerprint check to reselling within the ten-day hold, and treats each day of noncompliance as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Edison require a license for pawnbrokers?
How long must an Edison pawnbroker hold items before reselling them?
What records must an Edison pawnbroker keep?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Edison
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