Bay County, MI Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)
Key Facts
- Licensing authority
- Bay County Executive
- Governing ordinance
- Part 17, Ord. No. 51 (2011)
- Excludes
- Bay City, Essexville (pop. over 3,000)
- Buying hours ban
- 9 p.m. to 7 a.m.
- Sunday business
- Prohibited
- Appeal window
- 14 days to request hearing
Summary
Bay County licenses pawnbrokers operating outside cities and villages of more than 3,000 people, such as the City of Bay City and City of Essexville, which license their own. The County Executive issues, suspends and revokes licenses after a Sheriff background investigation, and pawnbrokers cannot buy goods between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m., from anyone under 18, or on Sundays.
Sec. 2. The Bay County Executive is designated and authorized to issue, suspend, and revoke licenses for persons, corporations, partnerships, companies or firms to carry on the business of a pawnbroker pursuant to 1917 PA 273, as amended, MCL 446.201 et seq., ("the Pawnbrokers Act."). ... (1)The County may not issue a license for a location within a city or village with a population greater than 3,000, including, but not limited to the City of Essexville and the City of Bay City. ... No pawnbroker shall acquire any goods between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.; nor from any person under the age of eighteen (18) years; nor from any person who is at the time intoxicated or known to be a habitual drunkard; nor from any person with the knowledge that such goods are stolen property. A pawnbroker shall not conduct business on Sunday.
Full Breakdown
Part 17 of the county code, the Bay County Pawnbroker Ordinance (Ord. No. 201 et seq. 202(5). Every application goes to the Sheriff, who fingerprints the applicant and investigates before reporting back to the County Executive. Licenses are non-transferable and must be posted in full public view. Since April 1, 2011, pawnbrokers must transmit every transaction record to the Sheriff electronically over a county-run website and keep a short paper form bearing the seller's right thumbprint for each pledge. , from anyone under 18, from an intoxicated person or known habitual drunkard, or from anyone believed to be handling stolen property, and they cannot conduct pawn business at all on Sunday.
If the County Executive denies, suspends or revokes a license, the applicant has 14 days to request a redetermination hearing before a three-member panel; that decision can then be appealed to the Board of Commissioners through a prehearing conference with the Ways and Means Committee chair. A suspension is treated as a suspension with intent to revoke and automatically becomes a revocation unless the licensee requests that hearing within the 14-day window.
Violations & Fines
Grounds for suspension or revocation include a felony or moral-turpitude misdemeanor conviction, fraud or misrepresentation on the application, refusing to let the County or Sheriff inspect the premises, and any breach of the peace or menace to health, safety or welfare arising from the licensed activity. Revocation forfeits all fees already paid. Any violation of the state Pawnbrokers Act itself is treated as a violation of this county ordinance, and license conditions are enforced through the same suspension and appeal process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Bay County license pawnshops inside Bay City?
What hours can a Bay County pawnbroker buy items?
How does the Sheriff investigate a pawnbroker applicant?
Can a denied pawnbroker license be appealed?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bay County
Compare Bay County to another location·View the Michigan business licensing & operations overview
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