Cecil County, MD Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)
Key Facts
- License term
- July 1 to June 30 annually
- FY2017 license fee
- $250 (prorated $125)
- Background check
- Sheriff's Office criminal history check
- Transaction reporting
- Daily to Sheriff's Pawn Unit
- Resale hold period
- 30 days minimum
- Max penalty
- $500/day/transaction or 6 months jail
Summary
Every pawnbroker doing business in unincorporated Cecil County must buy an annual license from the Department of Permits and Inspections, pass a criminal history check through the Sheriff's Office, and report each pawn transaction daily under Chapter 262.
Every pawnbroker, dealer, or secondhand dealer doing business in the County on or after the effective date of this chapter shall be required to purchase a license for each location at which the pawnbroker, dealer, or secondhand dealer conducts business in this County. Each license issued by the County shall be valid for the term of one year, beginning on July 1 and expiring on June 30 of the following year. The license shall be issued by the Department of Permits and Inspections. ... The fee for Fiscal Year 2017 shall be $250.
Full Breakdown
A requires every pawnbroker doing business in the County on or after the chapter's effective date to purchase a license for each location where it conducts business; the license runs for one year from July 1 to June 30, is issued by the Department of Permits and Inspections, and is priced annually by the County Council, with the Fiscal Year 2017 fee set at $250 (an editor's note records it was prorated to $125 for businesses first licensed that year). B, every license holder, applicant, and employee must pass a national and state criminal history check run by the Cecil County Sheriff's Office, and no one convicted of a felony or a crime of theft, fraud, or a pawnbroker-law violation may hold a license or work under one.
D makes the license non-transferable. Beyond licensing, § 262-3 requires pawnbrokers to log every transacted item daily to the Sheriff's Pawn Unit and keep records for three years, § 262-5 imposes a 30-day hold before any pawned item can be resold, and § 262-7 requires items to be tagged within 24 hours of acquisition. The chapter was adopted by Bill No. 2016-22 on October 18, 2016.
Violations & Fines
Under § 262-10.B, violating any pawnbroker requirement where no specific penalty is stated is punishable by a fine not exceeding $500 per day, per transaction, for each violation, or imprisonment not exceeding six months, or both, at the court's discretion. A conviction under § 262-10 also triggers mandatory license revocation, and the licensee becomes ineligible to hold a Chapter 262 license for one year from the conviction date under § 262-10.C. The Sheriff's Office and Department of Permits and Inspections may inspect a licensee's premises and records without advance notice during normal business hours under § 262-10.A.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a license to run a pawnshop in unincorporated Cecil County?
Does the County check a pawnbroker's background?
How long must a pawnbroker hold an item before reselling it?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cecil County
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