Charleston, SC Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing sections
- City Code §§ 17-51 to 17-56
- Bond required
- Yes, per state pawnbroker/junk dealer statutes
- Daily police report
- Every pawn, within 24 hours
- Purchase log
- Required, open to police inspection
- Minors
- No purchase without written parental consent
- Violation penalty
- Up to $500 fine or 30 days jail
Summary
Every junk shop and pawnbroker's establishment in Charleston must post a state-required bond, display its license at the entrance, and open its doors to police inspection at any time. Sec. 17-53 requires a purchase log for every item taken in, and Sec. 17-56 requires pawnbrokers to report every pawn to the police chief within 24 hours.
Sec. 17-51. - Bond required. The keeper of any junk shop or pawnbroker's establishment within the limits of the city shall file such bond as may be required under the state statutes. ... Sec. 17-56. - Pawnbrokers' daily reports to police. All pawnbrokers doing business in the city shall make daily reports to the chief of police of the city, and within twenty-four (24) hours from the reception of any pawn or of all pawns deposited with them, giving the number of the ticket and such description of the personal property as will make its identification easy, and in case the pawn is of watches or other articles having a number, the description shall state among other things, such number.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 114 | Zoning: Supplement 25).
Full Breakdown
City Code Chapter 17, Article III governs junk shops and pawnbrokers together. Sec. C. for junk dealers, referenced in the article's footnote). Sec. 17-52 requires a sign over the shop's principal entrance identifying the keeper as licensed and stating the licensee's name. Sec. 17-53 requires every licensee to keep a book recording, at the time of each purchase or barter, a description of the article, the name and residence of the person who sold or traded it, and the day and hour of the transaction; that book must be open at all times to inspection by the mayor, the police chief, or their designee.
Sec. 17-54 keeps junk shops and pawnbrokers' establishments themselves open to inspection by the mayor or chief of police at any time, not just the purchase log. Sec. 17-55 bars buying or pawning goods from a minor without the written, on-file permission of a parent or guardian. Sec. 17-56 layers an additional daily obligation onto pawnbrokers specifically: every pawn taken in must be reported to the police chief within 24 hours, including the pawn ticket number and, for numbered items like watches, the item's serial number.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 17's general licensing penalty applies: violating any provision of the business license article, which includes the junk shop and pawnbroker requirements, is punishable under Sec. 17-34 by a fine of up to $500 or up to 30 days in jail, with each day of noncompliance treated as a separate offense on top of any license suspension or revocation the license official pursues.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Charleston require pawnbrokers to post a bond?
How fast must a pawnbroker report a pawn to police?
Can a Charleston pawnbroker take in items from a minor?
Who can inspect a pawnbroker's records in Charleston?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Charleston
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