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

Chapter 186 defines 'junk' broadly, covering old or discarded metal, glass, paper, unregistered vehicles unfit for highway use, used auto parts and similar secondhand material acquired commercially, and defines a 'junk dealer' as anyone who buys, collects or stores it commercially, including auto wreckers and dealers in used lumber or plumbing fixtures. Section 186-2 requires a license under Chapter 195's general licensing article before operating in the Township, and § 186-3 requires the application to show whether the applicant owns the site (or has the owner's written consent), plus a sketch of the property, neighboring owners and the zoning designation.

The Zoning Officer reviews each application and forwards a recommendation to the Township Committee, which must act within 60 days of the Clerk's submission or the license is deemed approved. , bars Sunday business entirely, and limits the Township to three junkyard licenses in effect at once. Section 186-10 layers on siting rules: no vehicle or junk may be stored or dismantled within 500 feet of a dwelling, house of worship, school, auditorium or similar public gathering place, no burning within 100 feet of any building, and any junkyard business area must sit at least 50 feet from a street and 25 feet from a side property line, enclosed in a solid fence at least eight feet high with no more than one 15-foot-wide opening per side, so the operation isn't visible from outside except while junk is actively being moved.

Junk stacked or stored may never be visible above the fence line, and every licensee must keep a daily written log of items purchased and the seller's name and address, open to inspection, and may not buy from anyone under 17.