Arlington County, VA Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)

Arlington County Code Chapter 62, Article II governs pawnbrokers. Under Section 62-3, no natural person may operate as a pawnbroker without a license authorized by the Arlington County Circuit Court and issued by the County Police Department. Applicants file with the police department, supplying full name, aliases, address, date of birth, driver's license number, fingerprints and photograph, employer information, the proposed business location, and a statement of whether firearms will be purchased or sold; the zoning administrator must also certify the location is a permitted use.

The applicant pays a $200 application fee and cannot have a felony or crime-of-moral-turpitude conviction within the prior ten years; police may run fingerprints through the Central Criminal Record Exchange to the FBI under Va. 1. The license is valid for twelve months, renews annually for another $200, is non-transferable, and is tied to one designated building. Section 62-4 requires a minimum $50,000 surety bond before anyone may operate, covering judgments recovered against the pawnbroker for misconduct. Section 62-14 hard-caps the county at four operating pawnshops at any one time, and those licenses cannot be transferred to other persons. False statements on the application are grounds for denial, revocation, or permit revocation under Section 62-3(F).