Elizabeth, NJ Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)

88 treats secondhand dealing as a regulated activity that cannot begin without city authorization. 040 bars any dealer from engaging in the business anywhere in the city without first applying for and obtaining both required licenses from the chief license inspector: a premises license covering the physical location, which must be displayed in full public view, and an individual license covering every dealer, employee or independent contractor who personally conducts the regulated activity on the dealer's behalf. Getting there requires real paperwork and money. 060, a premises application costs a non-refundable $200 and requires a $10,000 surety bond running to the City of Elizabeth for anyone injured by fraud, default or misrepresentation; an individual application costs $100.

Both applications require the names, addresses, and dates of birth of applicants, principals and shareholders holding a ten percent stake or more, disclosure of any prior criminal or disorderly-persons convictions, and fingerprint cards if the chief of police requires them. 050 sets the operating rules once a license issues: licenses run only through December 31 of the issuing year and cannot be transferred, a licensed premises can only operate at a single static location, and outside of dealer-to-dealer transfers a licensee cannot make more than two cash transactions with the same seller in seven days or more than five in thirty days, after which payment must switch to a bank check. Licensees must also let police officers and code enforcement officers inspect their transaction records during business hours.