Buffalo, NY · city specifics
What's specific to Buffalo
At a glance
Local permit
Where to apply
Reporting system
Holding period
Fees
Fingerprinting
Want the whole picture? Get the federal, state and Buffalo rules together, for how you buy and sell.
Build my Buffalo plan →Buffalo is unusual in naming watches in its holding rule rather than leaving you to argue about what counts as jewelry. The state-level items — sales tax registration, the marking rules, LLC publication — are in the New York guide.
The licence
No business may buy, sell, pawn, store, collect, distribute or deal in the materials Chapter 254 covers without a licence from the Commissioner of Permit and Inspection Services (§ 254-2). The application describes the business, the kinds of material you deal in, and the exact location, and a location not previously licensed must first be approved by the Common Council (§ 254-9(B)) — which weighs the effect on surrounding residential neighbourhoods, traffic, noise and similar factors.
The fee is $500 a year, for both a new licence and a renewal, under the fee schedule in Chapter 175. Pawnbrokers pay $450. Licences expire on July 1, so a licence taken out mid-year is worth less than a full year of cover.
Display the licence in a prominent place visible to the public (§ 254-14).
The 21-day hold
Every secondhand dealer in jewelry, diamonds, watches, rings, furs, gold, silver and plated ware shall hold said goods for a period of 21 days from the time of purchase and shall not resell the same until the expiration of said period.
That is § 254-16(A), and it is the longest hold of any city covered on this site. It runs from the time of purchase, not from a filing, and New York State imposes no competing period.
Subsection (B) matters to a jeweller who mainly sells new stock and occasionally takes a watch in trade: such dealers are not required to hold longer than 21 days, which caps rather than removes the obligation.
Three weeks of dead time is a real cost on a fast-moving watch. The carrying cost article covers pricing it in.
The daily report
Before 10:00 a.m. each business day, prepare a report of all articles received the previous business day, on police forms or a form acceptable to the Department of Police, and furnish it to the police on request (§ 254-12(B)).
Each article is described by brand name, make, serial and model numbers, colour and size. For jewelry or anything containing jewels, add the size, setting, shape, colour, karats, type of metal, number and type of stones, and any initials, dates or inscriptions — which for a watch means the engraving on a caseback as much as the reference on the dial.
The report also describes the seller: name and verified address, age, height, weight, race, gender and date of birth, with the type of government photo identification inspected and its identifying numbers.
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
- Junk dealer / secondhand dealer licence, Buffalo Code Ch. 254, issued by the Commissioner of Permit and Inspection Services
- Who it applies to
- No person, firm or corporation may carry on a retail or wholesale business of buying, selling, pawning, storing, collecting, distributing or dealing in the materials named in Chapter 254 without the licence (§ 254-2), and § 254-16 names watches directly among the goods a secondhand dealer handles. A licence for a location not previously licensed must first be approved by the Common Council (§ 254-9(B)).
- Reporting system
- Buffalo Police Department — daily report of articles acquired
- What must be reported
- A report of every article received, on forms supplied by or acceptable to the Department of Police, describing each article by brand name, make, serial and model numbers, colour and size — and, for jewelry or an article containing jewels, the size, setting, shape, colour, karats, metal, number and type of stones, and any initials, dates or inscriptions. The report also describes the seller: name and verified address, age, height, weight, race, gender and date of birth, with the type of government photo identification used and its identifying numbers.
- Reporting cadence
- Prepared before 10:00 a.m. each business day covering all articles received the previous business day, and furnished to the police on request (§ 254-12(B)).
- Holding period
- 21 daysEvery secondhand dealer in jewelry, diamonds, watches, rings, furs, gold, silver and plated ware must hold the goods 21 days from the time of purchase and may not resell before that period expires (§ 254-16(A)). Dealers who deal principally in new merchandise and only occasionally take in such secondhand articles are not required to hold them longer than 21 days (§ 254-16(B)). New York State sets no competing period.
- Fingerprinting
- Unclear — check with the cityChapter 254 does not impose fingerprinting in the licence sections; it requires a written application describing the business, the materials dealt in and the location, with any further information the Commissioner requires, and § 254-4 allows denial to convicted persons. Confirm what the Office of Licenses asks for on the current application form.
- Zoning / home office
- Chapter 254 ties the licence to a stated location and forbids doing business anywhere other than the licensed place (§ 254-9(B)), and a location not previously licensed needs Common Council approval, which considers the impact on surrounding residential neighbourhoods. A home-based dealer should expect that review rather than a formality.
- Fees
- $500.00 per year for a secondhand dealer licence (Ch. 175, Fees, setting the fees for § 254-21); pawnbrokers pay $450.00 per year and dealers in used or secondhand automobiles $300.00Renewal: $500.00 per year; all Chapter 254 licences expire on July 1, except street-vehicle licences (March 1) and used-automobile licences (May 1)Source reviewed: 2026-09-22 (Buffalo Code Ch. 254 and Ch. 175, fee schedule amended 4-1-2025 effective 7-1-2025)
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.
Things to confirm
Confidence: ConfirmedOpen items a professional should verify before you rely on this page.
- Confirm what the current Office of Licenses application requires beyond the code's list, including any background check, and whether the Common Council referral applies to your location.
Turn this guide into your plan
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Permits, fees and holding periods change without notice. We'll email you when this guide is re-verified, and what changed.
Sources
- Buffalo Code Ch. 254 (Junk Dealers and Pawnbrokers) Art. I - licence and duties (§ 254-2 no person may carry on a retail or wholesale business of buying; selling; pawning; storing; collecting; distributing or dealing in the materials named in the chapter without a licence from the Commissioner of Permit and Inspection Services; § 254-9 a new location not previously licensed must first be approved by the Common Council; § 254-12(B) before 10:00 a.m. each business day the dealer prepares a report of all articles received the prior business day and furnishes it to the police on request; § 254-12(C) the report describes each article including brand name; make; serial and model numbers; colour and size; and for jewelry the size; setting; shape; colour; karats; metal; stones and any initials; dates or inscriptions; § 254-12(D) the report describes the seller including name; verified address; age; height; weight; race; gender and date of birth; with the type of photo identification and its numbers; § 254-14 licence displayed in a prominent place; § 254-22 licences expire on July 1) — retrieved 2026-09-22 · current as displayed
- Buffalo Code § 254-16 (Certain goods to be held before sale) - every secondhand dealer in jewelry; diamonds; watches; rings; furs; gold; silver and plated ware shall hold said goods for a period of 21 days from the time of purchase and shall not resell the same until the expiration of said period; dealers who deal principally in new merchandise and occasionally acquire such secondhand articles are not required to hold them longer than 21 days — retrieved 2026-09-22 · current as displayed
- Buffalo Code Ch. 175 (Fees) - fees fixed for Ch. 254 licences (secondhand dealers per year: new licence $500.00 and licence renewal $500.00; pawnbrokers per year $450.00; wholesale dealers or dealers in used or secondhand automobiles $300.00; street collecting/buying/selling with motor vehicle $94.50; amended 4-1-2025 effective 7-1-2025) — retrieved 2026-09-22 · amended 2025-04-01 effective 2025-07-01
- NY Department of Taxation and Finance - Register as a sales tax vendor (every person who sells taxable tangible personal property must register with the Tax Department through New York Business Express before beginning business, including sales made from home; registration produces a sales tax Certificate of Authority) — retrieved 2026-09-22 · page last reviewed 2025-07-25
Not legal advice. Confirm with your city or state office and a qualified professional.
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