Somerville, MA Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- License required from
- City council, before any purchase
- Background check
- CORI check required with application
- Minimum age to sell to dealer
- 18
- Precious item hold
- 30 days before resale or melting
- License term
- Expires every April 30
- Records kept
- 3 years, inspectable by police anytime
Summary
Somerville requires anyone buying used goods for resale to hold a second hand dealer's license from the city council, complete with a CORI background check, before making a single purchase. Licensed dealers also can't buy from anyone under 18 and must hold onto any 'precious item,' like gold, jewelry, or electronics, for 30 days before reselling or melting it down.
It shall be unlawful for any person operating as a second hand dealer to purchase any item without first obtaining a second hand dealer's license from the city council. An applicant for a second hand dealer license shall file an application on a form prescribed by the city clerk. The application form shall require the applicant to provide information regarding the existence of consumer complaints against the applicant and authorization to submit to a CORI check. The fees for such license shall be set by the city council. Each second hand dealer license shall continue in force until the following April 30, unless sooner revoked. ... No second hand dealer or consignment dealer shall purchase or accept for consignment any merchandise from anyone under the age of 18. Every second hand dealer shall retain every precious item purchased for a minimum of 30 days before melting, changing the form of, selling, bartering, trading, displaying or otherwise disposing of it.
Full Breakdown
Sections 8-60 through 8-66 regulate secondhand and consignment dealing as a distinct license category from pawnbroking, which Section 8-60 prohibits outright. A 'second hand dealer' under Section 8-61 is anyone who buys used personal property to resell, except dealers who buy only automobiles, books, prints, coins, or postage stamps; a 'consignment dealer' displays goods for sale without taking ownership until they sell. Before purchasing a single item, a second hand dealer must get a license from the city council under Section 8-62, filing an application with the city clerk that discloses any consumer complaints against the applicant and authorizes a CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) background check.
Fees are set by the council, licenses aren't transferable, and every license runs only until the following April 30 regardless of issue date, unless the council revokes it sooner for cause after notice and a hearing. Section 8-63 layers on two substantive restrictions: no dealer or consignment shop may buy from, or accept consignment from, anyone under 18, and every 'precious item,' defined in Section 8-61 as anything containing gold, silver, platinum, or another precious metal, or bearing a serial number, engraving, or unique identifier, has to sit untouched for at least 30 days after purchase before the dealer can melt it, resell it, trade it, or otherwise dispose of it.
Section 8-64 lets Somerville police, state troopers, or other law enforcement officials inspect a dealer's merchandise and transaction records covering the last three years on request.
Violations & Fines
Buying without a license, buying from a minor, or disposing of a precious item before the 30-day hold expires under Section 8-63 is punishable under Section 8-66 by the general Section 1-11 penalty for each day of noncompliance, or under whatever state law penalty applies instead. The city council can also modify, suspend, or revoke a dealer's license for cause after notice and a hearing under Section 8-62, and refusing a police inspection of merchandise or records under Section 8-64 is a separate violation of the article.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Somerville require a license to run a secondhand or pawn shop?
How long must a Somerville secondhand dealer hold onto gold or jewelry before reselling it?
Can a Somerville secondhand dealer buy from a teenager?
Can Somerville police inspect a secondhand dealer's records without a warrant?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Somerville
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