Burlington Code Chapter 11 requires secondhand goods dealers, junk dealers, and pawnbrokers to register with the City Clerk and Burlington Police, maintain transaction logs, and report jewelry and electronics purchases for stolen-property tracking.
Dealers buying or trading used jewelry, precious metals, electronics, musical instruments, or firearms must obtain a Burlington secondhand-dealer license, post a bond, and maintain logs of seller name, ID, item description, and transaction date for at least one year. Burlington Police review records to recover stolen property. Some retailers participate in the Leads Online electronic reporting system for daily uploads. Pawnbrokers face additional bond and interest-rate caps under Vermont 9 V.S.A. Chapter 41 and may not lend at usurious rates.
License suspension, fines up to $500 per unreported transaction, and possible criminal charges if a dealer knowingly receives stolen property under 13 V.S.A. §2561.
See how Burlington's secondhand dealers rules stack up against other locations.
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