[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Council of the Town of Portsmouth 5-1-1953 by Ord. No. 74 (§§ 13-6 to 13-17 of the 1976 Code). Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Peddling and soliciting — See Ch. 274.
Junked or abandoned vehicles — See Ch. 382.
No person shall engage in the business of purchasing, selling, bartering or dealing in junk, old metals or secondhand automobiles, whether as keeper of a shop or storehouse for the reception of such junk, etc., or as a gatherer of such junk, etc., in any bag, wagon, cart or automobile, or as a foundryman or other person receiving such junk, etc., for the purpose of melting such junk, etc., or of converting such junk, etc., into castings, unless such person shall be duly licensed by the Town Council and subject to the conditions and restrictions of this chapter.
Every applicant for any such license shall set forth with full particulars, upon a form to be furnished by the Town Clerk, answers to the following questions:
A. 
Name and address, both of residence and of business of the applicant.
B. 
Business or employment of the applicant during the five years next preceding application.
C. 
Age of the applicant.
No license shall be granted under this chapter except upon written application which shall be duly advertised and upon which a public hearing shall be held. Such advertising shall be in a public newspaper, published in the county, to appear once a week for two successive weeks prior to such hearing, provided that no license shall be granted under this chapter in any location where the owners or occupants of the greater part of the land within 200 feet of such building or place of business shall file with the Town Council their objection to the granting of such licenses.
The annual fee for such licenses shall be as follows:
A. 
For a keeper of a shop, storehouse, business or junkyard: $25;
B. 
For a gatherer: $5;
C. 
For a foundryman or other person receiving such junk, etc., for the purpose of melting such junk, etc., or of converting such junk, etc., into castings: $5.
All licenses granted under the provisions of this chapter shall expire one year from the date of their issuance, provided that any such licenses so granted may be revoked at any time by the Town Council for cause, and no rebate shall be made from the license fee for such license for less than one year.
Every keeper of any junk shop, junkyard or storehouse, licensed according to the provisions of this chapter, shall display in a conspicuous place within such shop, yard or storehouse the license last granted to him/her.
Every shop, storehouse, bag, wagon, cart, junkyard, automobile or foundry or place of business of any such licensed person shall be subject to the inspection and examination of the Chief of Police or any of his authorized agents.
Every such licensed person shall keep in a book a contemporaneous record in the English language of the business done by him/her as follows: a description of every article purchased or sold by him/her, at the time of purchase or sale, the name and residence of the person from whom such article was purchased or to whom such article was sold by him/her, and the day or hour of such purchase or sale. Such book or record shall be subject to examination at any time by the Chief of Police or any of his authorized agents and also by members of the Town Council.
Every such licensed person shall keep any property purchased or received by him/her for a period of 10 days from the date he/she acquires such property, and during that period, such property shall not be disfigured or treated in any way by which its identity may be destroyed or affected, except that any person licensed as a gatherer may at any time sell any such property to a keeper or a shop or storehouse or a foundryman or other person licensed as above provided within such period, provided that any licensed person may sell and melt such property within such period of 10 days with the permission in writing of the Chief of Police.
No person licensed as herein provided shall directly or indirectly either purchase or receive in barter or exchange any junk or metals or secondhand automobiles from any minor, knowing or having reason to believe him/her to be a minor, unless such minor shall be licensed in accordance with this chapter.
No keeper of any junk shop, junkyard or storehouse shall do or suffer to be done any business therein between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.
No junk, old metal or secondhand automobiles shall be stored by such licensed person in the open on any lot or tract of land within the Town, unless the area to be used for such purpose is enclosed by a tight board fence at least six feet in height that shall be located or erected not less than 10 feet from the boundary lines of such lot or tract of land. Openings between boards shall not exceed 1/2 inch.