What's specific to Philadelphia

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

Precious Metal Dealer License (Philadelphia Code § 9-615), issued by the Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I) for each location

Who it applies to

Required for anyone in business as a "dealer in precious metals". That means a person or business, expressly including an itinerant merchant, doing business in the city "which purchases or makes appraisals of precious metals and their alloys for resale to refiners, brokers, or the public" (§ 9-615(1)). Precious metals are "items of gold, silver, platinum, and their alloys, including, but not limited to, jewelry, but excluding coins and bullion", so a gold, silver or platinum watch is covered. Unlike the state Act, the city definition has no 5%-by-weight floor and no karat floor. A two-tone watch is therefore more likely in scope here than under state law. A steel watch is likely outside, because it is not an item "of" a precious metal. Philadelphia has no general secondhand-dealer chapter, but that was checked from the Title 9 table of contents, not by a full-text search, so treat it as likely. The city license sits on top of the state's county-sheriff license, which § 9-615(10) expressly preserves. Who issues that sheriff license in Philadelphia County was not confirmed. Separately, every business in the city needs a Commercial Activity License, which is free, and a Business Income and Receipts Tax (BIRT) account.

Office

Department of Licenses and Inspections, Permit and License Center, Municipal Services Building, 1401 John F. Kennedy Blvd., Public Service Concourse. In-person visits are by appointment, and online applications go through eCLIPSE.

Reporting system

The electronic inventory tracking system designated by the Police Department. The city's license page links it to LeadsOnline.

What must be reported

The tracking information for every precious-metal item purchased or exchanged that day, uploaded from a computer you keep on the premises (§ 9-615(7)). At each transaction you must also take a digital photograph of the customer and a clear imprint of their left thumbprint, and inspect one of the listed forms of photo ID (§ 9-615(6)). Records of every purchase from the public, and of every written appraisal, are kept for two years. They include the item's net weight and fineness, the seller's driver's license number, Social Security number or similar ID number, and the seller's left thumbprint (§ 9-615(9)). The code lets L&I charge up to $400 per location for the tracking system. Whether it does was not confirmed, because the license page lists only the license fee.

Reporting cadence

Daily. Upload no later than the end of each business day (§ 9-615(7)). Whether this upload also satisfies the state Act's copy to the district attorney was not confirmed.

Holding period

30 daysApplies to any precious metals you purchase, receive or exchange. Keep them for at least 30 days from receipt, on your premises or, if state law permits, at another safe place. They must be kept apart from the stock you offer for sale, and they "may not be altered in any manner". Police may inspect without a warrant, and an item held off-site must be produced within 24 hours of a written request. The original owner can reclaim the item earlier by repaying the purchase price plus a storage fee of no more than 25% of it. Returns or exchanges by your own customers are exempt (§ 9-615(8)). Whether the hold also reaches watches bought from other dealers is not settled.

Fingerprinting

Unclear — check with the cityNo fingerprinting of the applicant was found in § 9-615 or on the L&I license page, so this is not confirmed either way. What the code does require is a clear left-thumbprint imprint from every seller at every transaction, kept with the record (§ 9-615(6), (9)).

Zoning / home office

Not confirmed. The Zoning Code (Title 14) was not reviewed for a home-based or appointment-only dealer.The application needs proof of occupancy. That can be a recent prior license record for the same space and business type, or zoning approval, with an Affidavit of Continuous Use where the approval is older. You also need a BIRT ID and the Commercial Activity License, and you must be current on all City taxes.

Fees

$253 license fee (L&I page). A non-refundable $20 application fee is paid up front and applied toward it, and the balance is due on approval. The code text still reads $200 for each location (§ 9-615(2)(c)), but the city charges $253. On top of that comes the state county-sheriff license at $50 a year. The Commercial Activity License costs nothing.Renewal: $253 a year. Renewing more than 60 days after the due date adds 1.5% of the license fee for each month since the license expired.Source reviewed: 2026-10-03 (phila.gov Precious Metal Dealer License page; Philadelphia Code § 9-615 on American Legal)