[HISTORY: Adopted by Common Council of City of North Tonawanda 9-6-1977. Amendments
noted where applicable.]
A.Â
It
shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to carry on
the business of pawnbroking in the City of North Tonawanda, New York,
without a license issued by the Mayor.
B.Â
It
shall be the duty of the Mayor to accept applications for such licensing
and to investigate the same and to cause issuance thereof only to
reputable persons and to corporations controlled only by reputable
persons to carry on and conduct the business of pawnbroking only at
a place or premises to be specified in said license.
C.Â
Each
license shall automatically expire on the January 1 following the
date of issuance of such license.
D.Â
The
annual permit fee shall be at the rate of $50 for each place of business.
E.Â
Every
person so licensed shall, at the time of receiving such license, file
with the Mayor a bond to the local authorities, to be executed by
the person so licensed and by two responsible sureties, in the penal
sum of $10,000, to be approved by such Mayor.
F.Â
Such
permit may be revoked by the Mayor for misconduct on the part of the
licensee or his agent after an appropriate hearing based on such charges.
Such hearing shall be conducted by the Mayor, and his decision thereon
shall be final.
Every such licensed pawnbroker shall keep a book in which shall
be written, at the time of the making of each loan, an account and
description of the goods, articles or things pawned or pledged, the
amount of money loaned thereon and the rate of interest to be paid
on such loan and the date and time of such pledge. Such books shall,
at all times of business hours, be open for inspection to the Mayor
and his designees and to the Chief of Police and his designees of
the City of North Tonawanda.
Interest charged shall be such as will be allowed from time
to time under the terms of the General Business Law of the State of
New York.
A.Â
No
pawnbroker shall purchase or receive any goods in pledge from any
person who is actually or apparently under the age of 18 years or
who is in an intoxicated state or is known as an habitual drunkard.
B.Â
No
pawnbroker so licensed shall employ at such place of business any
person under the age of 18 years in any capacity, which shall include
accepting the pledge or pawn of merchandise or the purchase of secondhand
property.
C.Â
No
pawnbroker shall receive as a pledge or purchase any revolver, pistol,
blackjack or sawed-off shotgun, and no pawnbroker shall display in
his window or shop any such weapons for sale.
D.Â
It
shall be the duty of every pawnbroker to report to the police any
article pledged with him or which is sought to be pledged with him
if he shall have reason to believe that the article was stolen or,
in the case of a lost article, lost and found by the person attempting
to pledge it.
E.Â
All
pawnbrokers shall comply with the General Business Law of the State
of New York.
Any person who shall violate any of the provisions of this ordinance
shall be guilty of a Class B misdemeanor and shall, upon conviction
thereof, be subject to a fine not to exceed $500 or to imprisonment
for a term not to exceed three months, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
This ordinance shall take effect from and after its passage
and publication as provided by law.
