Pawnbroker Licenses
The term Pawnbroker shall mean any person engaged in the business of lending money on deposit, or pledges of personal property or other valuable thing other than securities, or printed evidence of indebtedness, or in the business of purchasing personal property or other valuable thing, and selling or agreeing to sell the same back to the seller at a price other than the original price of purchase, or in the business of purchasing personal property such as articles containing gold, silver, platinum or other precious metals or jewels for the purpose of reducing or smelting them into a different form and reselling the product, as stated in the Pawnbrokers License Ordinance.
No person shall engage in business as a pawnbroker without having a license issued by the Town of Fairfield for such activity. The Municipal Officers shall grant a license if the applicant has chosen a location which complies with all municipal zoning ordinances, has not been convicted of a crime arising out of sales of items, has not violated state law governing pawnbrokers, and has filed a Pawnbrokers License Application with the Town Clerk.
To apply for a pawnbroker's license, the applicant must complete the application provided by the Town Clerk and submit the fee of $100.00. If approved, the pawnbroker's license will continue in force for one year from the issue date, unless sooner revoked by the Municipal Officers.
Upon receipt of an application for any license or renewal, the Town Clerk shall inquire of other town departments as appropriate for comments as to whether a license shall be granted consistently with the provisions of the laws and ordinances enforced by such department. The Chief of the Fire Department shall cause inspection to be made for the purpose of determining if town ordinances, state law, or state regulations concerning fire and safety have been complied with. The Chief of Police shall cause an investigation to be made of the principal officers or persons to be licensed as a pawnbroker.
Every licensed pawnbroker shall make and deliver, to the Chief of Police or his designee on duty at the Police Department, every day before the hour of 10:00 a.m., a legible and correct list containing an accurate description of all articles taken in pawn, taken in exchange, bought or sold during the preceding twenty-four (24) hours, together with the time when such articles were pawned, exchanged, bought or sold. If the pawnbroker fails to comply with those provisions, they shall be subject to a penalty not exceeding fifty dollars ($50.00) to be recovered by complaint.