Implementation of Licensing Laws

Online comments: 4

• Gary Patel

  Hi

  Comment added May 4, 2026 10:33am

• [email protected]

  My husband, has a numbers of health issues triple bypass surgery,brainstroke,, have a diabetes problem, with high blood pressure No walking balance all above issues with all this problem running this news stand is over only income. Please Please I’m requesting to give me a chance to cure this summons so I can run properly this news stand my family member help me so I can take care my husband with hospital appointments and I have a all the proper training for tobacco laws and rules and regulations
  Please take this as a consideration
  Thank you to give me a chance to explain

  Comment added May 4, 2026 10:37am

• Anonymous

  Request was already submitted to update address on current hotel license. We were pending a response from our online application. Hotel license address has been updated.

  Comment attachment
  WG-Midtown-License-Update-Request-4.1.2026.pdf

  Comment added May 4, 2026 10:57am

• Jeff Lokatz

  May 4, 2026

  New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection
  Attn: Rulemaking Comments – Reference No. 2026 RG 012
  42 Broadway
  New York, NY 1004
  Submitted via email: [email protected]

  RE: Comments in Support of Proposed Rule Amending Rules Relating to Licensing Laws (Ref. No. 2026 RG 012)

  Dear Commissioner and DCWP Rulemaking Staff:
  IKEA U.S. submits these comments in strong support of the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection’s proposed rule implementing Local Law 183 of 2025. We write specifically to address the elimination of fingerprinting and surety bond requirements for Secondhand Dealer General licensees, which has a direct and material impact on IKEA’s ability to operate its Buy Back & Resell program at our Brooklyn, New York store.
  IKEA operates a Buy Back & Resell program at nearly all its U.S. store locations. Under the program, IKEA purchases used IKEA furniture from customers in exchange for store credit; the acquired items are then placed in IKEA’s “As-Is” section for resale to other customers at a discount. The program supports IKEA’s core sustainability commitments by reducing furniture waste, extending product lifecycles, and providing affordable options for price-conscious consumers. This is just one of the many ways we are working towards transitioning towards a circular business. By 2030 IKEA products will all be designed from the very beginning to be reused, repaired, refurbished or recycled, this program lends well to this.
  The Brooklyn store, located on Beard Street, is the only remaining IKEA location in the United States where the program cannot currently operate – this means more potential curb waste, illegal dumping and an overall larger effect on the environmental footprint for NYC. Under existing law, IKEA’s Brooklyn store must hold a secondhand dealer license to buy and resell used furniture. That license requires that all corporate officers, principals, directors, and shareholders owning more than 10% of company stock submit fingerprinting for criminal background check purposes, and that the applicant post a $1,000 surety bond. The license was originally built around businesses like pawnshops, thrift stores, and used goods dealers – typically small operations where the owner is the business. Fingerprinting requirements were designed to guard against criminal misuse of secondhand dealer licenses, a legitimate concern for pawnshops and dealers in high-risk portable goods. They are poorly suited to a large, established retailer operating a transparent buyback program for its own branded furniture.
  For a large multinational corporation such as IKEA, the fingerprinting requirement creates a practical and governance barrier that has made licensure unworkable. Requiring the fingerprinting of senior corporate officers and major institutional shareholders, individuals with no operational role in the Brooklyn furniture resale program, imposes compliance burdens wholly disproportionate to the regulatory purpose of the requirement. These barriers have prevented Brooklyn-area residents from accessing a free, sustainable, and consumer-friendly service that is available at IKEA stores across the country.
  IKEA strongly supports the proposed rule implementing Local Law 183 of 2025 directly addressing the barriers described above. The Buy Back & Resell program reduces curbside furniture waste, a meaningful challenge in dense urban environments like Brooklyn. It also gives consumers access to discounted, pre-assembled furniture, an affordability benefit that has been unavailable to Brooklyn residents due solely to a regulatory mismatch. These are outcomes aligned with the City’s own environmental and consumer protection priorities.
  Additionally, the reforms eliminate barriers without reducing consumer protections. IKEA will continue to be subject to all substantive requirements of the Secondhand Dealer General license, including recordkeeping obligations, consumer protection rules, and disclosure requirements. Removing fingerprinting and bond requirements does not diminish any of those protections.
  In conclusion, IKEA commends DCWP and the City Council for enacting Local Law 183 of 2025 and for moving promptly to implement its provisions through this rulemaking. These reforms reflect a thoughtful recalibration of licensing requirements; removing burdens that were never well-suited to responsible large-scale retailers while preserving the consumer protections that remain appropriate.
  IKEA looks forward to offering Brooklyn residents the same Buy Back & Resell service that our customers across the country currently enjoy. We are prepared to engage constructively with DCWP staff on any questions related to our pending license application and program rollout.
  Respectfully submitted,
  Jeff Lokatz

  Comment added May 4, 2026 11:11am