Bozeman, MT Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)

Bozeman Municipal Code chapter 30, article 2 covers pawnbrokers and secondhand dealers together. Section 30.02.010 requires every pawnbroker and secondhand dealer to first procure a license as provided in chapter 12, article 2 before doing any business in the city. Section 30.02.020 defines a secondhand dealer as any person who engages in the business of buying and selling secondhand goods, wares or merchandise, of any kind whatever. Section 30.02.030 sends the application to the director of administrative services and requires payment of the fee set in chapter 12. Under section 12.02.100 licenses issued under that chapter are valid for one year from the month of issuance, and section 12.02.010 makes it unlawful to conduct a business that needs a license without one.

Section 30.02.060 sets the buying restriction. It is unlawful for a pawnbroker, secondhand dealer or valuable article dealer to receive, purchase or trade any article from a person who is under the influence of alcohol, under the influence of drugs, or under the age of 18 years.

Recordkeeping is the other core duty. Section 30.02.040 requires every licensed person to keep a book with a legible entry for each article bought, with a description when practicable, together with the name and residence of the person it came from. The register and the property are always subject to examination. Section 30.02.050 forbids refusing to show the records or the purchased articles to the chief of police, any police officer, or a third party accompanying an officer or a person redeeming pledged property. Section 30.02.090 requires records to be in English, legible, and preserved and accessible for three years after redemption or forfeiture and sale.

The stricter database, upload and ten-day hold requirements in sections 30.02.040(A)(1), 30.02.070 and 30.02.080 are written for pawnbrokers.