Boston, MA Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- Licensing authority
- Boston Police Commissioner
- Secondhand resale hold
- 30 days minimum
- Junk/old-metal resale hold
- 1 week minimum
- Recordkeeping
- purchase book open to city inspection
- Shop sign
- required, name & occupation, large letters
- Outdoor display
- prohibited for secondhand furniture/household goods
Summary
Boston requires a Police Commissioner license to buy, sell or deal in junk, old metals or secondhand articles under Code of Ordinances § 17-4.1, and bars reselling purchased secondhand goods for 30 days, junk and old metal for one week, after they're received.
No such shop-keeper holding a license from the Police Commissioner as a dealer in second-hand articles shall permit to be sold any article purchased or received by him or her until at least 30 days after its purchase or receipt. Nor shall any dealer in, or keeper of a shop for the purchase, sale or barter of, junk or old metals, permit to be sold any article purchased or received by him or her until at least one week after its purchase or receipt.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-2: Current through Ordinance 2025 C. 14, passed 11-5-2025).
Full Breakdown
c. 140, § 54. 2 recording a description of each item bought plus the seller's name, age and residence, and the date and hour of purchase; that book and the shop's merchandise must stay open to inspection by the Mayor, City Council, Police Commissioner or their designees at any time. 3 requires a conspicuous sign at the shop bearing the keeper's name and occupation in large letters. 4: a secondhand-articles dealer cannot resell any item until at least 30 days after purchasing or receiving it, while a junk or old-metal dealer must hold an item at least one week before reselling it, a hold period meant to let stolen property surface before resale. 5 additionally bars displaying secondhand furniture or household effects in any open area around the shop. 14.
Violations & Fines
Violations of the recordkeeping, signage, sales-hold and display rules in §§ 17-4.2 through 17-4.5 each carry the general Chapter XVI penalty referenced under Subsection 16-32.1. Operating as a junk or secondhand dealer without a Police Commissioner license under § 17-4.1 exposes the operator to license revocation and prosecution as an unlicensed dealer under the parallel state authority, M.G.L. c. 140, § 54.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long must a Boston secondhand dealer hold an item before reselling it?
What records must a Boston junk shop keep?
Who licenses junk and secondhand dealers in Boston?
Can a secondhand shop display furniture outside on the sidewalk?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Boston
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Secondhand Dealers in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle secondhand dealers.