Overview: 

PAWNBROKER – Any person who engages in the business of lending money on the deposit of pledge of any article or jewelry, or purchasing any article or jewelry with an expressed or implied agreement or understanding to sell it back at a subsequent time at a stipulated price.

SECONDHAND ARTICLE DEALER

Any person who primarily engages in the business of purchasing or selling secondhand articles, except when engaging in any of the following:

(a) Any transaction at an occasional garage or yard sale, an estate sale, a gun, knife, gem or antique sale, a convention or an auction.

(b) Any transaction entered into by a person while engaged in a business for which the person is licensed under Chapter 9.23 of the Municipal Code or while engaged in the business of junk collector, junk dealer, auctioneer, or scrap processor as described in § 70.995(2)(x), Wisconsin Statute.

(c) Any transaction while operating as a charitable organization or conducting a sale the proceeds of which are donated to a charitable organization.

(d) Any transaction between a buyer of a new article and the person who sold the article when new which involves any of the following:

1. The return of the article.
2. The exchange of the article for a different, new article.

(e) Any transaction as a purchaser of a secondhand article from a charitable 

organization if the secondhand article was a gift to the charitable organization.

(f) Any transaction as a seller of a secondhand article which the person bought from a charitable organization if the secondhand article was a gift to the charitable organization.

Fee Schedule

$500/Establishment 

Application: Pawn Broker/Secondhand Dealer

Pawn Broker/Secondhand Dealer applications must be submitted to the Town Clerk.

Process:

Investigations of the applicant will be conducted by the Police Department. Municipal Code Section 9.23(6).

Following the investigation the Town Clerk shall forward the application to be discussed and acted on by the Town Board. The Board shall grant the license pending all stipulations have been met as outlined in Municipal Code Section 9.23(7)(a).

License validation dates as follows:

1. Each license for a pawnbroker, secondhand article dealer or secondhand jewelry dealer is valid from July 1 until the following June 30.
2. Each license for a secondhand article dealer mall or flea market is valid for two years, from May 1 of an odd-number year until April 30 of the next odd-number year.