Boston, MA · city specifics
What's specific to Boston
At a glance
Local permit
Where to apply
Reporting system
Holding period
Fees
Fingerprinting
Want the whole picture? Get the federal, state and Boston rules together, for how you buy and sell.
Build my Boston plan →Boston's rules are short and old (the licence section cites an ordinance of 1839), but two of them shape how a watch business runs: a 30-day bar on selling and fixed buying hours. What the state adds on top, including the gold, silver and platinum book and sales tax, is in the Massachusetts guide.
The licence
The Police Commissioner licenses dealers in second-hand articles (CBC 17-4.1), and the fee schedule sets the annual licence at $150 (18-1.19(F)). The section is drafted as a grant of power rather than a ban on unlicensed trading. With the state forfeit for dealing unlicensed behind it, though, the licence is likely required in practice for a Boston dealer.
No BPD page found describes the second-hand licence or offers a form. The Licensing Unit at Boston Police Headquarters, 1 Schroeder Plaza, is the likely place to start, but that is an inference from the code rather than something the department states.
Thirty days before you can sell
Section 17-4.4 is the rule that matters most:
No such shop-keeper holding a license from the Police Commissioner as a dealer in second-hand articles shall permit to be sold any article purchased or received by him or her until at least 30 days after its purchase or receipt.
Two words carry weight for a watch dealer. "Received" goes beyond buying, and on its face a consigned watch is held from the day it comes in. And "any article" means there is no carve-out for a piece bought from another dealer, however clean its provenance.
A month of dead time is a real cost on stock that could otherwise turn in days. The carrying cost article covers pricing it in.
Buying hours
Under 16-24.1 a second-hand shop may not buy, or be open for business, except from sunrise to 9:00 p.m. on weekdays other than Saturday, and from sunrise to 10:00 p.m. on Saturday. Sunday is not listed, which on the text likely rules it out. The same section bars buying from, or bartering with, a minor or an apprentice.
For a dealer who meets private sellers after work, this is the rule most likely to be broken by accident.
The book and the sign
At the time of every purchase, write in a book the article's description, the seller's name, age and residence, and the day and hour (17-4.2). The Mayor, the City Council, the Police Commissioner, or anyone they authorise may inspect the shop, its stock and the book at any time. That is the whole of Boston's reporting: inspection, with no daily or electronic upload and no stated retention period.
Display a sign with your name and occupation in large letters (17-4.3).
Breaking the book, sign or holding rules in Chapter XVII, or the buying hours in Chapter XVI, carries a fine of up to $20 per offence (16-32.1). For the Chapter XVI rules, including the buying hours, each day of a violation counts as a separate offence.
Not confirmed
- Fingerprinting or background checks. The code imposes none, and no BPD application was found to say otherwise.
- The licence year. The fee section calls it annual without dates.
- Zoning. Not researched.
Local details
Everything a city page adds on top of the state rules. Fields that weren't found in the source are marked so — confirm them with the city, never assume.
- Permit required
- Yes
- Official name
- Second-hand dealer's licence, granted by the Boston Police Commissioner (City of Boston Code 17-4.1; fee under 18-1.19(F))
- Who it applies to
- CBC 17-4.1 empowers the Police Commissioner to license dealers in, and keepers of shops for, the purchase, sale or barter of second-hand articles. It is worded as a power rather than a prohibition. Read together with the state penalty for dealing without a licence (M.G.L. c. 140 § 55), the licence is likely required in practice. The code does not define second-hand articles, and watches are not among the goods state law excludes. Whether a Boston dealer with no shop needs the licence is an open question.
- Reporting system
- Purchase book open to inspection; no police report
- What must be reported
- A book in which, at the time of every purchase, the dealer writes a description of the article, the name, age and residence of the seller, and the day and hour of the purchase (17-4.2). The shop, all merchandise in it, and the book are open at all times to inspection by the Mayor, the City Council, the Police Commissioner, or anyone they authorise.
- Reporting cadence
- Written at the time of every purchase and open to inspection at all times. The code requires no daily, electronic or other report to police, and states no retention period for the book.
- Holding period
- 30 daysA licensed second-hand dealer may not sell any article purchased or received until at least 30 days after its purchase or receipt (17-4.4). The word "received" appears to reach a watch taken on consignment as well as one bought outright, which is worth confirming with an attorney. The section makes no exception for watches bought from another dealer. Massachusetts sets no statewide hold.
- Fingerprinting
- Unclear — check with the cityNeither Chapter 17-4 nor the fee section (18-1.19(F)) requires fingerprinting. No BPD application form for the licence was found, so whether the department asks for fingerprints or a background check is not confirmed.
- Zoning / home office
- Not confirmed. Boston's zoning rules were not researched for this guide.Buying hours are fixed (16-24.1): no purchases and no shop open for business except from sunrise to 9:00 p.m. on weekdays other than Saturday, and from sunrise to 10:00 p.m. on Saturday. Sunday is not named. No purchase or barter from a minor or an apprentice.
- Fees
- $150 for the annual licence (CBC 18-1.19(F))Renewal: Annual. The code does not say when the licence year starts or ends, so the renewal date is not confirmed.Source reviewed: 2026-10-03 (City of Boston Code of Ordinances on American Legal Publishing, current as displayed)
Confirm with your city
Every entry above came from the code or statute cited at the bottom of this page, read on the review date shown. Ordinances change between supplements, so confirm the permit, fee, reporting system, and holding period with the city office listed here before you rely on them.
Does this apply to you?
Some of these rules turn on how you actually operate. Answer a question and we’ll show what the rule says for that answer — with the citation. This is general information, not a legal determination about your business.
How do watches come into your stock?
Boston's hold runs from purchase or receipt, so it is written to catch more than outright buying.
When do you buy?
Things to confirm
Confidence: LikelyOpen items a professional should verify before you rely on this page.
- Confirm whether the 30-day rule in 17-4.4 applies to watches taken on consignment, since it covers any article 'purchased or received'.
- Confirm whether an online or appointment-only dealer based in Boston 'keeps a shop' or is a 'dealer in' second-hand articles requiring the Police Commissioner's licence.
- Confirm whether any buying or selling is permitted on a Sunday under 16-24.1, which names weekdays and Saturday only.
Turn this guide into your plan
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Sources
- City of Boston Code 17-4 Junk Dealers (17-4.1 Licenses; 17-4.2 Record; 17-4.3 Signs; 17-4.4 Sales Restricted) - 17-4.1 Licenses. The Police Commissioner of the city may license suitable persons to be collectors of; or dealers in and keepers of shops for the purchase; sale or barter of; junk; old metals or second-hand articles. (Ord. May 6;1839; Rev. Ord. 1961 c. 28 § 1; M.G.L. Chapter 140; Section 54; CBC 1975 Ord. T14 § 400; CBC 1985 17-4.1) / Every shop-keeper shall keep a book; in which shall be written; at the time of every purchase of any such article; a description thereof and the name; age and residence of the person from whom; and the day and hour when; such purchase was made; and the shop of such shopkeeper; and all articles of merchandise therein; and such book shall at all times be open to the inspection of the Mayor; the Boston City Council; the Police Commissioner or of any person by them respectively authorized to make such inspection. / 17-4.3: a sign having his or her name and occupation legibly inscribed thereon in large letters / No such shop-keeper holding a license from the Police Commissioner as a dealer in second-hand articles shall permit to be sold any article purchased or received by him or her until at least 30 days after its purchase or receipt. — retrieved 2026-10-03 · current as displayed
- City of Boston Code 16-24.1 Business Hours (Junk and Second-Hand Articles) - No person keeping a shop for the purchase; sale or barter of junk; old metals or second-hand articles shall purchase any of the aforesaid articles or have his or her shop open for the transaction of business; except between sunrise and 9:00 p.m. of any week day except Saturday; on which day such shop may be kept open; and such articles purchased; from sunrise until 10:00 p.m.; and no such person or junk collector shall; directly or indirectly; either purchase or receive by way of barter or exchange any junk; old metals or second-hand articles from a minor or apprentice — retrieved 2026-10-03 · current as displayed
- City of Boston Code 18-1.19 S Fees and Charges - (F) Secondhand dealer's license. The fee for an annual license to be a dealer in; or keeper of a shop for the purchase; sale or barter of secondhand articles granted by the Police Commissioner under Subsection 17-4.1 shall be $150. (Ord. 1976 c. 11; Ord. 1985 c. 4 § 65) — retrieved 2026-10-03 · current as displayed
- Boston Police Department - License page - Licensing Unit at Boston Police Headquarters; 1 Schroeder Plaza; Boston MA 02120 (the page describes firearms licensing at that unit; it does not name the second-hand dealer licence) — retrieved 2026-10-03 · Current page
- City of Boston Code 16-32.1 Fines; Generally - (A) Any person violating any other provision of this Chapter or Chapter XVII or Chapter XVIII shall be punished by a fine not exceeding $20 for such offense; (B) Each day or part thereof of violation of any provision of any Section of this Chapter (Chapter XVI); whether such violation be continuous or intermittent; shall be construed as a separate and succeeding offense — retrieved 2026-10-03 · current as displayed
- M.G.L. c. 140 § 55 (Junk dealers; penalty; exceptions) - Whoever acts as a collector of; dealer in or keeper of a shop for the purchase; sale or barter of junk; old metals or second hand articles without a license; or in any other place or manner than that designated in his license or after notice to him that his license has been revoked; or violates any such rule; regulation or restriction; shall forfeit twenty dollars. The purchase; sale or barter of books; prints; coins or postage stamps shall not be deemed to be the purchase; sale or barter of second hand articles within the meaning of this and the preceding section. — retrieved 2026-10-03 · current as displayed
Not legal advice. Confirm with your city or state office and a qualified professional.
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