Articles to be retained, placed on hold, exceptions.
Houston Code of Ordinances § 7-90
in effectSec. 7-90. - Articles to be retained, placed on hold, exceptions.
(a) No dealer shall sell, dismantle, deface, melt, or in any manner alter or dispose of any item purchased or otherwise received at the dealer's licensed place of business for 11 days after receipt. During the 11-day period, all items of property shall be stored or displayed at the dealer's permanent business location or in a secure location readily accessible to the dealer, in the exact form received, and in a manner so as to be identifiable from the description entered in the record book. The property shall not be kept so as to prevent or impede its examination hereunder and shall be available for inspection by a peace officer within 24 hours of a peace officer's request to inspect the property.
(b) A dealer may not melt, deface, alter, or dispose of crafted precious metal received by the dealer before the 11 th day after the required report is filed unless:
(1) The peace officer to whom the report is submitted, for good cause, authorizes the disposition of the metal;
(2) The dealer obtains the name, address, and description and other information pertaining to the buyer as required in section 7-88(b) of this article and retains a record of that information; or
(3) The dealer is a pawnbroker and the disposition is the redemption of pledged property by the pledger.
(c) A peace officer who has a reasonable suspicion that an item of crafted precious metal in a dealer's possession is stolen may place the item on hold for a period not to exceed 60 days by issuing to the dealer a written notice that specifically identifies the item alleged to be stolen and subject to the hold, and informs the dealer of the requirements of this section.
(d) On receiving notice from a peace officer that an item is placed on hold, the dealer may not melt, deface, alter, or dispose of the identified crafted precious metal until the hold is released in writing by a peace officer of this state or by court order.
(e) Failure to comply with any provision of this section shall be grounds for the revocation of or the refusal to issue or renew any license required of a dealer under this Code. Any person violating any provision of this section shall be punished as provided by section 1-6 of this Code.
(Ord. No. 2013-111, § 18, 2-6-2013)
Source: City of Houston, Code of Ordinances and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/tx/houston/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COOR_CH7ANDECOMASCMEPRSEREREBU_ARTIVCRPRMEDE_S7-90ARBEREPLHOEXFetched: 10/26/2026