Asheville, NC Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)

City Code Sec. 9-221 makes it "unlawful for any person to establish or conduct a business of pawnbroker" without first procuring a license through the collections division of the finance department, in addition to the general privilege license required elsewhere in Chapter 9. To qualify under Sec. 9-222, an applicant must be of good moral character and not have been convicted of a felony within the last ten years, backed by references from two or more local citizens and a criminal record check from every county the applicant has lived in over that decade.

The Sec. 9-223 application demands ten years of address history for the owner and every employee (each screened for felony or property-crime misdemeanor convictions), a net-assets/capital statement verified by an accountant, a police or SBI certificate of no felony conviction, and a photo taken within the past three years. Sec. 9-224 requires a $5,000 bond payable to the city, executed with two sureties or a licensed surety company, covering faithful performance of the business; the city can sue on the bond, and a judgment creditor of the pawnbroker can sue on it directly.

Licenses run one year and renew under Sec. 9-225 by meeting Secs. 9-222 and 9-223 again. Sec. 9-204 caps the effective interest rate at 2% per month and limits combined monthly fees (title investigation, handling/appraisal/storage, insurance, application, daily police reporting) to 20% of principal, with dollar ceilings of $100 the first month, $75 the second and third, and $50 for the fourth month and beyond. Sec. 9-206 bars pawnbrokers from accepting pledges from anyone under 18, taking manufactured homes, RVs or non-motorcycle vehicles as collateral, or operating more than one pawnshop per license.