Learn About The Law
Get help with your legal needs
FindLaw’s Learn About the Law features thousands of informational articles to help you understand your options. And if you’re ready to hire an attorney, find one in your area who can help.
Current as of January 01, 2026 | Updated by Findlaw Staff
For the purpose of this act, the following terms, phrases, words and their derivations shall have the meaning given herein. When not inconsistent with the context, words used in the present tense include the future, words in the plural number include the singular number, and words in the singular number include the plural number. The word “shall” is always mandatory and not merely directory;
(1) The term “closing-out sale” shall include, but not be limited to, all sales advertised, represented, or held forth under the designation of “quitting business,” “going out of business,” “discontinuance of business,” “selling out,” “liquidation,” “lost our lease,” “must vacate,” “forced out,” “removal,” “branch store-discontinuance sale,” “building coming down,” “end,” “final days,” “last days,” “lease expires,” “we give up sale,” “we quit sale,” “warehouse closing sale,” “warehouse removal sale,” “reorganization sale,” and any other advertising or designation by any other expression or characterization similar to any of the foregoing, and giving notice to the public that the sale will precede the abandonment of a business location.
(2) The term “sale of goods damaged by fire, smoke or water” shall include, but not be limited to, all sales advertised, represented or held forth under the designation of “fire sale,” “smoke damage sale,” “water damage sale,” “flood damage sale,” “insurance sale,” and any other advertising or designation by any other expression or characterization similar to any of the foregoing, and giving notice to the public that the goods, wares or merchandise offered for sale have been damaged.
(3) The term “defunct business sale” shall include, but not be limited to, all sales advertised, represented or held forth under the designation of “adjuster's sale,” “administrator's sale,” “assignee's sale,” “bankrupt sale,” “bankrupt stock sale,” “benefit of administrator's sale,” “benefit of creditor's sale,” “benefit of trustee's sale,” “creditor's committee sale,” “creditor's sale,” “executor's sale,” “insolvent sale,” “mortgage sale,” “receiver's sale,” “trustee's sale,” and any other advertising or designation by any other expression or characterization similar to any of the foregoing, and conveying the same meaning or giving notice to the public of a sale resulting from death, business failure, or other adversity.
(4) “Unusual purchase or addition” shall mean any purchase of goods, wares or merchandise during the ninety days preceding the application for a license, the total value of which is at least twenty-five percent greater than purchases made by the applicant for a like ninety-day period during any one of three years next immediately preceding the year in which the application is made or his peak purchases for any ninety-day period if he has been in business for less than three years.
(5) “Person” shall mean any individual, partnership, association, firm or corporation.
Cite this article: FindLaw.com - Pennsylvania Statutes Title 53 P.S. Municipal and Quasi-Municipal Corporations § 4471-3. Definitions - last updated January 01, 2026 | https://codes.findlaw.com/pa/title-53-ps-municipal-and-quasimunicipal-corporations/pa-st-sect-53-4471-3/
FindLaw Codes may not reflect the most recent version of the law in your jurisdiction. Please verify the status of the code you are researching with the state legislature before relying on it for your legal needs.
A free source of state and federal court opinions, state laws, and the United States Code. For more information about the legal concepts addressed by these cases and statutes, visit FindLaw’s Learn About the Law.
Get help with your legal needs
FindLaw’s Learn About the Law features thousands of informational articles to help you understand your options. And if you’re ready to hire an attorney, find one in your area who can help.
Search our directory by legal issue
Enter information in one or both fields (Required)