Bloomfield, NJ Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- Licensing office
- Township Clerk, for the dealer and each employee
- License fee
- $250 annual license and $250 annual renewal
- Electronic reporting
- Every transaction entered in the database within 24 hours
- Cash payment limit
- Two transactions per seller in a seven-day period
- Retention period
- 15 days in public view before sale or alteration
- License term
- One year, nontransferable, one place of business
Summary
In Bloomfield Township, Essex County, New Jersey, no buyer or dealer of secondhand goods, precious metals, other metals or gift cards can operate without a license from the Township Clerk. The annual license and renewal fee are each $250, every transaction goes into a police-designated electronic database within 24 hours, and purchased items are held 15 days.
No buyer or dealer shall engage in a regulated activity, as defined above, without having first obtained a license therefor from the Township Clerk, which license shall bear a number issued by the Township Clerk and shall be prominently displayed within the licensed premises. ... At the time of filing the application for a license, a nonrefundable license fee of $250 shall be paid for the annual license for the premises where the activity is to be conducted. Thereafter, the annual, nonrefundable renewal fee for the premises will be $250. ... B. Through the use of applicably required computer equipment, and using the electronic format approved by the Police Director, every dealer shall enter all transactions into the electronic database within 24 hours from the date of purchase or receipt of property for pawn, or consignment. ... All property, precious metals, other metals, secondhand goods as defined in § 417-1 or as described in Appendix I shall remain in the same condition as when purchased and shall not be sold or disposed of, changed, modified, or melted by the purchaser until the fifteen-day retention period has expired.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 417 regulates buying and selling of gold, silver, gems, other metals, gift cards and secondhand goods, and the Township Mayor and Council adopted it to keep stolen property from being disposed of easily. Section 417-3 requires a license from the Township Clerk for the buyer or dealer and for any individual employee who engages in the regulated activity; the license bears a number and must be displayed on the licensed premises. Section 417-4 sets a nonrefundable $250 fee for the annual license for the premises and a $250 annual renewal fee, in addition to the cost of the electronic reporting system. The license is not transferable and terminates one year after issuance (§ 417-5), and it covers one place of business only (§§ 417-9 and 417-10).
The application goes on forms from the Township Clerk, with a certificate of occupancy or zoning permit and fingerprinting, the cost of which the applicant pays (§ 417-6). Under § 417-11 each transaction is recorded with a unique transaction number, seller identification, a description including serial numbers, a signed ownership declaration, and color images of the seller's identification and of every item, then entered into the electronic database within 24 hours. If the system fails, paper forms go in within 24 hours. Cash payments to the same seller are limited to two transactions in a seven-day period, and no cash goes to a seller with more than five transactions in thirty days; a bank check is used instead. Section 417-12 bars dealing with minors without written parental consent, and with anyone intoxicated. Section 417-13 holds purchased goods in unchanged condition, in public view at the licensed location, for 15 days. Police can inspect the premises and records during business hours.
Chapter 313 separately licenses junk shops at $200 per year and junk dealers, collectors and rag pickers at $100 per year.
Violations & Fines
Under § 417-8 the Township Mayor and Council can revoke a license for any violation of the chapter, including failing to enter transactions within 24 hours, failing to maintain computer equipment, or refusing police entry during business hours. A suspended licensee has 10 days to request a hearing, which is held within 30 days; without a request the license is automatically revoked after 10 days. Chapter 417 prints no penalty of its own, so the general penalty in § 1-15 of the Code applies: a fine not exceeding $2,000 or imprisonment not exceeding 90 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
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