Alhambra, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)
Key Facts
- Enforcing agency
- Director of Finance and Chief of Police
- License term
- Annual, due January 1 (§ 5.16.040)
- Character bar
- Convicted of theft, robbery or burglary (§ 5.16.030(B))
- Daily reporting
- Buy-form mailed to Chief of Police (§ 5.16.110)
- Hold period
- 30 days before resale or disposal (§ 5.16.160)
- Display rule
- No outdoor display or storage (§ 5.16.050)
Summary
Alhambra requires anyone running a pawnbroking business to hold an annual city license, priced by City Council resolution and due each January 1. The Director of Finance forwards every application to the Chief of Police for a background investigation before a license can issue.
(A) Application for a license for a pawnbroker, antique dealer, or secondhand dealer shall be made in writing to the Director of Finance and shall state the name of the applicant, the place of business and such other information as the Director of Finance may require. Upon receipt of any such application, the same shall be forwarded to the Chief of Police who shall investigate such applicant and shall report to the Director of Finance the results of such investigation. (B) No license shall be issued to any person of bad character nor any person who shall have been convicted of receiving stolen goods, robbery or burglary nor to any firm or corporation of which a principal partner, shareholder or officer is a person of bad character or has been convicted of any such offense.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-25: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ord. 4851, passed 10-27-25).
Full Breakdown
030. No license can be issued to a person of bad character or anyone convicted of receiving stolen goods, robbery or burglary, and the same bar reaches any firm or corporation whose principal partner, shareholder or officer fits that description. The application fee equals the annual license fee; if the license is denied, the city keeps that money to cover the cost of its investigation. 040, the annual fee itself is set by City Council resolution and is due and payable in advance on January 1 each year, with payment a condition of the next year's license.
16 in the shop. 050 forbids displaying or storing pawnshop goods outside a building. State pawnbroking law under Cal. Fin. applies on top of these local rules.
Violations & Fines
Operating as a pawnbroker without the required license is unlawful under § 5.16.020, and § 5.16.024 imposes a penalty, calculated under § 5.04.192, for any license fee not paid by its delinquency date. Selling or destroying pledged goods before the 30-day hold in § 5.16.160 expires, or storing merchandise outside the shop in violation of § 5.16.050, exposes a pawnbroker to license denial or non-renewal on top of any fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who reviews a pawnbroker license application in Alhambra?
Can a past conviction disqualify a pawnbroker applicant?
How long must an Alhambra pawnbroker hold an item before reselling it?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Alhambra
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