Business Licensing & Operations in Chapel Hill, NC (2026)
3 verified business licensing & operations rules for Chapel Hill, North Carolina, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Secondhand Dealers
In the Town of Chapel Hill, dealers who buy or trade secondhand gold, silver or platinum items must keep a bound, sequentially numbered transaction ledger and hold every purchased article unaltered for ten days so a law enforcement officer can inspect it. Violating any part of Article VI is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine and jail time.
Chapel Hill Secondhand Precious Metal Dealer Rules
Some RestrictionsChapel Hill Code of Ordinances §§ 10-130, 10-131, 10-133
(a)A "secondhand precious metal dealer" is a person or firm whose business is the purchase or trade of secondhand articles made, in whole or in part, of gold, silver or platinum. ... (a)Every secondhand precious metal dealer shall keep a tightly bound book with sequentially numbered pages in which shall be legibly written at the time of any purchase or trade of any secondhand article made, in w...
Pawnbrokers
The Town of Chapel Hill charges every pawnbroker a $100.00 annual license tax under Sec. 10-189. A pawnbroker is anyone who lends or advances money or other value for profit and takes specific personal property as a pledge, forfeited to the lender if the borrower does not repay it within the agreed time.
Chapel Hill Pawnbroker License Requirements
Some RestrictionsChapel Hill Code of Ordinances § 10-189
Every person engaged in and conducting the business of lending or advancing money or other things of value for a profit, and taking as a pledge for such loan specific articles of personal property, to be forfeited if payment is not made within a definite time shall be deemed a pawnbroker, and shall pay an annual license tax of one hundred dollars ($100.00).
Towing Companies
In the Town of Chapel Hill, a private lot owner cannot have a vehicle towed without first posting a compliant tow-away notice under Town Code § 11-301. The Chapel Hill Police Department requires tow operators to report every non-consent tow, and Article XIX sets escalating civil penalties, from $50 to $250, for violations under § 11-308.
Chapel Hill Non-Consent Towing Rules
Some RestrictionsChapel Hill Code of Ordinances §§ 11-301, 11-308
(a)It shall be unlawful to tow or remove a vehicle which is parked on private property without the permission of the owner or lessee of that private property unless notice in accordance with the provisions of this section is posted on the private property from which the towing or removal is made. ... (a)Any violation of the provisions of this article or a failure to comply with any of its requi...
Looking for Orange County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Chapel Hill city rules.
Business Licensing & Operations in Orange County →