Bloomington, IL Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)

The City of Bloomington folds pawnbroking into City Code Chapter 32, Secondhand Dealers, rather than licensing pawnbrokers as a separate category. Section 32-101 defines a "customer" to include anyone who deposits or pledges property with a licensee to redeem it later, who sells pawn tickets so the licensee can redeem and resell the merchandise, or who renegotiates a pawn loan, meaning pawn transactions are governed by the same license as junk dealers and secondhand dealers. Section 32-102 makes it unlawful to engage in that business without a license from the City Clerk; licensees dealing in secondhand goods from a fixed location for more than 15 consecutive days a year need the license, while estate liquidators and sales of vehicles, boats, books, coins, antiques and similar exempted goods do not.

Applicants and employees must submit two forms of ID, a mug shot, fingerprints and a criminal history check under Section 32-103; a felony conviction or a theft-related misdemeanor bars licensure unless it is five or more years old and the City Clerk finds the applicant rehabilitated. Section 32-104 sets the annual license fee from the Schedule of Fees, expiring April 30, with a 10% late fee for renewals received after April 1. Section 32-110 requires a $5,000 penal bond from an Illinois-licensed surety filed with the City Clerk before the license issues.

Section 32-107 requires acquired property to be held intact for at least 72 hours, and longer if police or an individual asserts a competing claim, in which case the licensee must surrender it to the Police Department on demand of the Chief of Police. Section 32-108 requires visible serial numbers on accepted collateral, and Section 32-109 bars dealing in firearms without a federal firearms license.