Boulder, CO Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)

S. Section 4-17-3(b) bars anyone from engaging in pawnbroking in the city without a license from the city manager, and a garage or rummage sale is exempt only if it is not held at the same address more than twice a year (Section 4-17-3(c)). A pawnbroker applicant must pay the fee set by Section 4-20-17, a $75 application fee, a $101 license fee per twelve-month period, and $10 per person for a background check, and must also furnish a $5,000 surety bond and fire and property damage insurance covering at least half the pledged property's value (Section 4-17-4(b)).

Once licensed, a pawnbroker may not charge more than three percent per month interest, commission, or compensation on the amount actually advanced, and may not collect any other charge on a loan renewal; any commission paid to procure a loan is void, and a borrower who paid one can recover twice the amount plus attorney fees (Section 4-17-12). A pledge must stay on the licensed premises for at least six months after the loan matures (Section 4-17-13); if the pledgor still has not redeemed it, the pawnbroker may mail a ten-day redemption notice and then sell the item at a published public auction (Section 4-17-14).

Pawnbrokers must record every transaction, including the pledgor's driver's license information and loan terms, and submit that record to the police chief before noon each Monday for the preceding week (Section 4-17-7). Boulder police may also order a pawnbroker to hold any item believed stolen, and the pawnbroker may not sell or release it while the hold order stands (Section 4-17-15).