Any person desiring to engage in business as a dealer in junk, metals or other secondhand articles that are no longer serviceable for their original manufactured purpose in any town, city or borough shall make application to the selectmen of such town, the mayor or chief of police of such city or the warden of such borough, as the case may be, for a license to transact such business within the limits of such town, city or borough, and the selectmen of such town, the mayor or chief of police of such city or the warden of such borough shall issue such licenses to such suitable persons as apply for such licenses and may revoke any such license for cause; but the selectmen shall not grant any such license for the carrying on of such business within the limits of any city or borough, and the persons so licensed shall pay, for the benefit of any such town, city or borough, to the authority granting the license, not less than two or more than ten dollars for the license, to be determined by the authority granting the license, and for renewal of such license ten dollars per year. Each license granted under the provisions of this section shall designate the place where such business is to be carried on, and shall continue for one year unless sooner revoked. Each such dealer shall keep a book in which shall be written in English a description of such articles and the name and residence and a general description of the person from whom, and the time and hour when, such property was received; and such book, and all articles of property mentioned in such book, and the place where such business is carried on, may be examined at any time by the selectmen of the town or any person designated by such selectmen, and, in any city or borough, by the chief of police of such city or borough or any person designated by the chief. Each such dealer shall make, weekly, sworn statements of all his or her transactions under such license, describing the goods received and setting forth the name and residence and a description of the person from whom such goods were received, to the chief of police in the case of cities or boroughs and, in other cases, to the town clerk of the town in which such junk dealer resides, and shall keep all goods at least five days after the filing of such statement. Any person who wilfully engages in the business of a junk dealer, unless licensed in accordance with this section or after notice that such person's license has been suspended or revoked, shall be guilty of a class D felony.
(1949 Rev., S. 4649; 1972, P.A. 223, S. 29; P.A. 11-100, S. 14.)
History: 1972 act provided for fee of $10 per year for renewal of license; P.A. 11-100 deleted reference to trader in secondhand bicycles, added “that are no longer serviceable for their original manufactured purpose”, added penalty for wilfully engaging in business of a junk dealer without a license or after notice that license has been suspended or revoked, and made technical changes.
See Sec. 13a-123e re restrictions of location of junkyard business.
Purpose of registration; employee of dealer not within statute. 80 C. 327. Constitutionality upheld and statute interpreted; official determines suitability of person but has no further discretion. 140 C. 637. Writ of mandamus to compel selectmen to issue license would not lie where selectmen had not considered question of plaintiff's suitability for license since issuance of such license is discretionary with selectmen; if there is a duty enforceable on board by way of mandamus, it is the duty to act, either affirmatively or negatively, on application properly presented to it under section. 155 C. 283.