What's specific to Jersey City

At a glance

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

Secondhand Dealer licence, Class B (Jersey City Code ch. 275), issued by the Director of Commerce

Who it applies to

It is unlawful to act as a dealer in secondhand articles without a Class A or Class B licence (§ 275-3(A)). Class B covers anyone who deals in the purchase or sale of manufactured items composed wholly or in part of gold, silver, platinum or other metals, and of old gold, silver or platinum (§ 275-1). A gold or platinum watch is Class B; on the plain words "or other metals", a steel or titanium watch is likely Class B too. "Purchase or sale" means the chapter reaches a dealer who only sells secondhand items, not just one who buys them. The chapter does not apply to the first purchase or sale in the country of imported secondhand articles, to new-condition returns of goods the dealer sold new, to manufacturer-rebuilt goods, or to IRS-recognised thrift shops (§ 275-2). A general licence needs a permanent place of business in the city; a dealer without one — an out-of-town dealer at a show, for example — needs a temporary licence instead (§§ 275-3(B), 275-5).

Office

Jersey City Division of Commerce (Director of Commerce) for the licence; transaction receipts and daily reports go to the Director of Public Safety

Reporting system

Electronic submission to the Jersey City Director of Public Safety, by a method the Director prescribes (the code names no system or vendor)

What must be reported

A transaction receipt for every transaction, written in English at the time: each item and its identification numbers, a full description of any precious-metal piece with its monograms or marks, the seller's name, residence, date of birth, height, weight, hair and eye colour, facial hair and employer, the seller's thumbprint, the date and hour, and a photograph of the item (§ 275-10(A)). Sellers show two forms of identification, one with a photograph; a Social Security card is not acceptable. Consignment intake and dealer-to-dealer transactions are recorded too, with a detailed description of all jewelry and costume jewelry.

Reporting cadence

Receipt submitted electronically for each transaction; identifiable articles entered individually in a bound ledger and reported individually to the Director of Public Safety at the close of each business day (§ 275-10).

Holding period

30 business daysBusiness days, not calendar days: no secondhand article may be sold or disposed of until 30 business days after the dealer acquires it — about six weeks (§ 275-13(D)). Articles bought from another licensed secondhand dealer are excepted, and licensed antique dealers may sell sooner if they keep the § 275-10 records. Longer than the state's used-jewelry hold, if that applies to watches at all.

Fingerprinting

YesEach applicant submits to a criminal history search, including fingerprinting by the Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Jersey City, and brings two bona fide forms of ID (§ 275-4). For a corporation, every officer and any stockholder of 10% or more is fingerprinted. Per the code's editor's note, the local background check is $10 and the New Jersey State Police state and federal check is $49; the State Police figure may have changed since the note was written.

Zoning / home office

A general licence presupposes a permanent place of business in Jersey City, and the application names the landowner and the applicant's right of occupancy (§ 275-4(C)(7)). Zoning use classes under the Land Development Ordinance (ch. 345) were not researched.No purchases between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., and none from known or suspected minors (§ 275-13(B)–(C)).

Fees

Class B general licence $1,000 per year (Class A $200); Class B temporary licence $500 (Class A $100); plus a $1,500 bond in favour of the city, which the Director may adjust (ch. 160 § FF; § 275-6)Renewal: Calendar year, January 1 to December 31; the first year's fee is prorated (§§ 275-3(B)(1), 275-6(A))Source reviewed: 2026-10-03 (Jersey City Code codified through Ord. 25-054, adopted May 7, 2025, Supp. No. 52; ch. 160 § FF last amended 4-23-2003 by Ord. No. 03-055)