Bannock County, ID Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- Before operating (§ 5.12.040)
- Bond
- $10,000.00 surety bond
- License fee
- $50.00 per quarter
- Records report
- Weekly to county sheriff
- Max penalty
- $300 fine and/or 30 days jail
- License lapses
- After 90 days unused
Summary
In unincorporated Bannock County, anyone running a pawnshop or pawnbroker business must first get a county license, post a $10,000 surety bond, and file detailed transaction records with the Bannock County sheriff's office each week.
It is unlawful for any person to conduct or transact a pawnbroker business or pawnshop in Bannock County without first having procured a county license therefor as hereinafter provided. ... The applicant shall file with the application, and in the event the license is granted, shall maintain throughout the period of time the license is in existence or valid, a bond running to the county, conditioned for the faithful observance of all provisions of this chapter respecting pawnbrokers, during the continuance of such license, any renewal thereof. This bond shall be in the sum of ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00), with a qualified surety company. ... Any person, firm or corporation violating any provision of this chapter shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be fined in an amount not to exceed three hundred dollars ($300.00) or be imprisoned in the county jail for a period not exceeding thirty (30) days or be fined and imprisoned. Each day that such violation occurs or continues shall be deemed a separate offense.
Full Breakdown
Bannock County Code Chapter 5.12, adopted under Ord. 1982-2 pursuant to Idaho Code Title 63, Chapter 23, makes it unlawful to conduct a pawnbroker business or pawnshop in the unincorporated county without a county license (§ 5.12.040). The chapter only applies outside any incorporated city that has its own pawnbroker ordinance (§ 5.12.020). Applicants file with the county commissioners, deposit a half-year to full year's license fee in advance ($50.00 per quarter, per § 5.12.050), and the Bannock County sheriff investigates and makes a licensing recommendation, though the commissioners are not bound by it (§ 5.12.070).
Before a license issues, the applicant must file a $10,000.00 bond running to the county, kept in force for the life of the license (§ 5.12.080). Licensees must keep an accurate, ink-written record in English of every item pawned or purchased, including brand, model and serial number, and the pledgor's name, address, birthdate, height, weight and ID number, on duplicate forms approved by the sheriff (§ 5.12.140), and must deliver a copy of that record to the sheriff's office once each week (§ 5.12.170). Pawned goods cannot be resold for five working days, and pledges must be held at least 30 days past the due date or last interest payment (§ 5.12.120).
Pawnshop employees must register with the sheriff's department and be fingerprinted and photographed (§ 5.12.220). A license lapses if unused for 90 days (§ 5.12.100) and is not transferable without commissioner approval (§ 5.12.100).
Violations & Fines
Violating any provision of Chapter 5.12 is a misdemeanor punishable under § 5.12.250 by a fine of up to $300.00, up to 30 days in the county jail, or both, and each day the violation continues counts as a separate offense. The Bannock County commissioners may also revoke a pawnbroker's license for repeated violations after giving the licensee a hearing (§ 5.12.230).
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a county license to run a pawnshop in unincorporated Bannock County?
What records must a Bannock County pawnbroker keep?
What happens if a pawnbroker violates the licensing chapter?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bannock County
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