Charlotte, NC Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)
Key Facts
- Fingerprint duty
- Every pledgor, every pawn transaction
- License fee
- $275.00 annual (Schedule B, § 13-76)
- Enforcement agency
- Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department
- Redemption period
- 180 days unless renewed
- Penalty
- License revocation under G.S. 91A-6
Summary
Charlotte requires every pawnbroker to fingerprint each pledgor on a pawn ticket submitted to CMPD for every pawn transaction under City Code Section 15-25, and to hold a $275 annual privilege license under the fee schedule in Section 13-76. Skipping the fingerprint duty is itself unlawful, and the city can revoke a pawnbroker's license under state law.
Pawnbroker means any person engaged in the business of lending money on the security of pledged goods and who may also purchase merchandise for resale from dealers and traders, as well as any employee or agent of such person. ... (b)It shall be the duty of a pawnbroker to fingerprint the pledgor in connection with every pawn transaction. It shall be unlawful for a pawnbroker to fail to perform said duty. In addition to the remedies provided in section 2-21, the pawnbroker's license may be revoked for a violation of this section, as permitted under G.S. 91A-6.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 56).
Full Breakdown
Charlotte's pawn transaction ordinance defines a pawnbroker as any person, employee or agent engaged in lending money on pledged goods or buying merchandise for resale from dealers and traders. A pledgor is anyone who deposits property with the pawnbroker, and a pawn transaction is a written bailment redeemable within 180 days unless renewed. Under Section 15-25(b), the pawnbroker must fingerprint the pledgor at every transaction, taking a clear, unsmeared ink impression of the index finger of each hand on the pawn ticket, which is submitted to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.
Failing to fingerprint a pledgor is a separate, standalone violation of the ordinance, not just a paperwork lapse. S. 91A-6. 00 fee, layered on top of any gross-receipts tax owed under Schedule A. The tax collector can investigate license applications and books under Sections 13-36 and 13-38, and Section 13-42 lists grounds for refusing or revoking a license, including conviction of a crime connected to the business. Because pawn transactions sit at the intersection of consumer lending and stolen-property risk, CMPD's fingerprint record ties every pledge back to an identifiable pledgor.
Violations & Fines
Failing to fingerprint a pledgor at any pawn transaction is unlawful on its own under Section 15-25(b), separate from any underlying pawn dispute. The city can revoke the pawnbroker's license for the violation under authority tied to G.S. 91A-6, on top of whatever remedies Section 2-21 allows generally. Operating without the required $275 Schedule B privilege license under Section 13-76 exposes the business to the refusal-or-revocation grounds and penalties in Sections 13-42 and 13-43.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Charlotte require pawnshops to fingerprint customers?
How much does a pawnbroker license cost in Charlotte?
Can Charlotte revoke a pawnbroker's license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Charlotte
Compare Charlotte to another location·View the North Carolina business licensing & operations overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.