Hudson, NH Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)

Chapter 261's SECONDHAND DEALER definition in § 261-2 is written broadly: it covers any person, firm, partnership or corporation in the retail business of buying, selling, buy-back, exchanging or dealing in secondhand articles, and lists examples including jewelry, watches, clocks, precious stones and metals, musical instruments, cameras, furs and other apparel, collectibles and antiques other than furniture and books, home and auto stereo equipment, televisions, VCRs and other electronics, tools, computers, firearms, auto accessories, and office and store fixtures; the definition notes secondhand dealers are separately regulated under New Hampshire RSA 322.

Like pawnbrokers, secondhand dealers need a Board of Selectmen license obtained through the Hudson Police Department under § 261-4, with the same $50 application and renewal fees, annual April 1 expiration, and Police Chief fitness investigation described in that section. Section 261-6B imposes a dealer-specific age restriction on top of the licensing rules: no secondhand dealer, pawnbroker, or their employee may knowingly purchase a covered article from anyone under 16 years old, unless that minor is accompanied by a parent or legal guardian who shows identification and signs the transaction record in person, tracking New Hampshire RSA 322:3.

Mail-order transactions, retail return exchanges, flea markets and yard sales are excluded from the chapter entirely under § 261-3. Section 261-7 layers on recordkeeping duties specific to every acquisition: a written English-language transaction record with the seller's identifying information, photo ID attached, and delivery of a copy to the Hudson Police Department within 24 hours of the close of business.