Fairfield regulates secondhand dealers and pawnbrokers under Chapter 13 of the Municipal Code, which layers a local police-issued permit on top of the state license required by California Business & Professions Code Β§Β§21625-21647. Applicants must file an application with the Chief of Police, pay a non-refundable fee set by Council resolution, undergo background check, and renew annually. Hours of operation are restricted: no Sunday or legal-holiday operations, and operations limited to 9 AM-6 PM other days (with exceptions before holidays and December 1-24). Detailed daily transaction reporting through the California Pawn & Secondhand Dealer System (CAPSS) is mandatory under state law.
California maintains a centralized state framework for secondhand dealers and pawnbrokers. Business & Professions Code Β§21625 et seq. defines 'secondhand dealer' broadly to include any person engaged in the business of buying, selling, trading, taking in pawn, accepting for sale on consignment, accepting for auctioning, or auctioning secondhand tangible personal property β covering jewelry, electronics, musical instruments, sporting goods, and similar property identifiable by serial number or unique identifier. Pawnbrokers (defined in Financial Code Β§21000 et seq.) are a subset that lends money on the security of personal property. The state license is issued by the local police or sheriff's department on behalf of the California Department of Justice. The DOJ administers the California Pawn & Secondhand Dealer System (CAPSS), the mandatory electronic reporting system through which dealers transmit each transaction's details (item description, serial number, seller ID, purchase price) for cross-checking against stolen-property databases. Under BPC Β§21628, the dealer must hold purchased property for 30 days before resale to allow law-enforcement holds. Fairfield's Chapter 13 layers additional local requirements: (1) written permit application to the Chief of Police with applicant identification and business location; (2) non-refundable application fee per Council resolution, separate from any business license fee; (3) annual renewal; (4) operational limits restricting business to 9 AM-6 PM, no Sundays or legal holidays (with exceptions for the day before a legal holiday and the 24 days preceding Christmas, recognizing seasonal retail demand); (5) a bound book maintained at the business with copies of all transaction reports; and (6) coordination with FPD Code Enforcement (707-428-7587) for additional permit conditions tied to the business license. Failure to comply can result in permit suspension/revocation and state license action. Fairfield's secondhand industry includes pawn shops along Texas Street and the Solano Town Center area, plus thrift, vintage, and consignment operations across the city.
Operating without a Fairfield secondhand dealer permit: Chapter 13 violation with administrative citations, suspension/revocation of the local permit, and possible cessation order. Operating without the state license under BPC Β§21641: misdemeanor with fines up to $1,000 and up to one year in county jail. Failure to report transactions to CAPSS: state Department of Justice administrative action and possible license suspension. Knowingly purchasing stolen property: California Penal Code Β§496 (receiving stolen property) felony with up to three years in state prison plus loss of license. Operating outside permitted hours (Sundays, holidays, 6 PM-9 AM): Chapter 13 violation with citation under Chapter 1A.
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