Manchester, NH Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- Licensing authority
- City Clerk, with Police Chief vetting
- License expires
- April 30 each year
- Criminal record check
- 10-year lookback, all involved employees
- Per-transaction fee
- $1, billed monthly
- Auctioneer fee (no fixed location)
- $50/year
Summary
Junk dealers, junk collectors, pawnbrokers, pawnshops, and secondhand dealers in Manchester must hold a City Clerk license, pass a Police Chief background check, and file per-transaction records.
No person, firm, or corporation shall engage in the business of junk dealers, junk collector, pawnbroker, pawnshop or secondhand dealer, auctioneer, or auction house as defined by § 110.01 of this title unless licensed therefor by the City Clerk. ... No license shall be issued to any firm, corporation, owner, or person, to include employees, directly or indirectly involved in the purchase of secondhand articles, who or which has been previously convicted within the preceding ten years of any theft related offenses to include but not be limited to: theft, burglary, receiving stolen property, or fraud in this state or any state or territory of the United States.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2025 S-25: current through Ord. passed 6-3-2025).
Full Breakdown
Manchester requires anyone doing business as a junk dealer, junk collector, pawnbroker, pawnshop, secondhand dealer, auctioneer, or auction house to be licensed by the City Clerk, with the Chief of Police empowered to investigate the applicant's fitness before the license is granted. Licenses run through April 30 each year, can't be assigned or transferred, and can be revoked by the Committee on Administration after notice and hearing for cause. Owners, managers, and employees involved in purchasing secondhand goods face a mandatory ten-year criminal record check pulled from State Police records, and anyone with a theft, burglary, receiving-stolen-property, or fraud conviction in the prior ten years is barred from licensure. Pawnshops and secondhand dealers that must prepare transaction records under § 114.03 also owe the city $1 per transaction, billed monthly. Furniture, used clothing, book, and licensed vehicle dealers are carved out of the background-check and per-transaction fee rules.
Violations & Fines
Operating unlicensed, or violating license conditions, is punishable under the general penalty section, § 10.99. The Committee on Administration can also revoke a license after notice and hearing for just cause, including for an owner's or employee's disqualifying theft-related conviction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who needs a secondhand dealer license in Manchester?
Can Manchester deny a license over a past conviction?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Manchester
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Secondhand Dealers in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle secondhand dealers.