Allentown, PA Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)

Section 430-2A of the Allentown Code, adopted by Ordinance No. 15422 in 2017 and rewritten in full by Ordinance No. 15534 in 2019, provides that "No person shall act as a pawnbroker prior to obtaining a pawnbroker's permit issued by the City of Allentown. No pawnbroker's permit shall be issued by the City of Allentown until the person has been properly licensed by the commonwealth as required by the Pawnbrokers Licensing Act, 63 P.S. §§ 281-1 to 281-32." The City permit is separate from and layered on top of that state license: it must be renewed annually through the Bureau of Police for a $100 fee, added to the standard business license fee under Chapter 196, and every applicant undergoes photographing, fingerprinting and a criminal history check before approval.

Once licensed, § 430-2B bars a pawnbroker from transacting with anyone under 18 and requires a digital photograph plus government-issued photo ID for every pledger before accepting a pledge. Section 430-2C requires daily uploads of transaction data, including photos of the customer and the item, name, address, phone number and birth date, to a secure police-designated tracking system by the end of each business day. Section 430-2D sets a 90-day holding period for pledged goods (15 days for outright purchases), during which the items must stay segregated from regular inventory and cannot be altered, and § 430-2E lets any Allentown police officer inspect held inventory without a warrant and seize suspected stolen property on probable cause.