St. Louis County, MO Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)

040 bars anyone from operating a pawnshop in unincorporated St. Louis County without a license from the Director of Revenue, requiring a separate license for each location and barring agents or solicitors from working at an unlicensed site. 060 sets the price of entry: a $500 investigation fee for a first-time applicant (or $250 for an additional location under substantially the same ownership), proof of $20,000 in general liability insurance, and a $500 annual license fee. 100 sets substantive standards for issuance: no license to anyone lacking "good moral character," defined as no drug, robbery, burglary, theft, fraud, weapons or violent-crime conviction within the prior five years; no license without $50,000 in net assets per pawnshop; and no license without a $5,000 surety bond running to the State.

120 caps the total number of licenses at one per 30,000 residents living outside incorporated cities, towns and villages, though shops licensed before the cap took effect may keep renewing even if the ratio is exceeded. 140 lets the Director suspend or revoke a license for changed conditions, with a hearing within five days if public safety is immediately at risk or ten days' notice otherwise. 150 requires photographing every customer and keeping a register and photos for at least one year for police inspection.