Bellevue, NE Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)
Key Facts
- Who needs a permit
- Every pawnbroker/chattel loan broker
- Approving official
- Chief of Police
- Bond required
- $5,000, mayor-approved surety
- Felony disqualifies
- No permit to a convicted felon
- Permit expires
- Midnight, August 31 following year
- Denial appeal
- To City Council, § 22-3
Summary
In the City of Bellevue, Nebraska, Code § 22-2 requires every pawnbroker to obtain a permit from the city before doing business, filing an application with the City Clerk's Office that the Chief of Police must approve. Approved applicants pay a fee from the Master Fee Schedule and post a $5,000 bond before the permit issues.
(A) Every pawnbroker shall before engaging in the business of pawnbroking, obtain a permit from the City of Bellevue. In order to obtain a permit, every pawnbroker must first file an application with the City Clerk’s Office, and have such application approved by the Chief of Police, or someone under his or her direction. ... (D) Should the permit application be approved, the applicant shall then pay to the City Clerk’s office the fee as described in the Master Fee Schedule. This fee can be paid either yearly, or biannually as provided for by state statutes. Additionally, the applicant shall also give bond to the City Clerk in the sum of five thousand dollars, with surety to be approved by the mayor, conditioned for the faithful performance by the principal, of each and all of the trusts imposed by law or by usage attached to pawnbrokers.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 22, Pawnbrokers and Chattel Loan Brokers, requires a permit under § 22-2 before anyone may engage in the business of lending money on chattel property held as security, or of buying property on condition of selling it back at a stipulated price, the definition of a pawnbroker or chattel loan broker set out in § 22-1. The applicant files with the City Clerk's Office, and the Chief of Police, or someone under the Chief's direction, must approve the application, which must disclose the owner's and manager's names and addresses, the applicant's Social Security number, corporate officers and shareholders if the applicant is a corporation, and the exact business and storage locations.
Under § 22-2(C), the Chief of Police weighs the criminal record of the applicant, and of any corporate officer or shareholder, and no permit may issue to anyone, or any corporate officer or shareholder, convicted of a felony. Once approved, the applicant pays the fee set in the Master Fee Schedule, payable yearly or biannually, and posts a $5,000.00 bond to the City Clerk with mayor-approved surety conditioned on faithfully performing the trusts the law attaches to pawnbrokers. The permit runs until midnight on August 31 of the following year and must be renewed with a new fee and bond.
A denied application can be appealed to the City Council under § 22-3, using the same procedure as an appeal from a permit suspension or revocation under § 22-11.
Violations & Fines
Section 22-10 makes it a misdemeanor for a broker, agent or dealer to violate any provision of the pawnbroker chapter, including making a false statement on the permit application, failing to keep required records, or failing to produce the permit or records to an officer on request. A conviction is punished as provided in the Code's general penalty, § 1-11: up to $500.00, up to six months in jail, or both.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a pawnbroker permit in Bellevue?
Can a felony conviction disqualify a pawnbroker permit applicant?
What happens if a Bellevue pawnbroker's permit application is denied?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bellevue
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