Chesapeake, VA Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)

Chesapeake City Code Sec. 1 requires anyone doing business as a pawnbroker to pay the license tax set for personal and business services under Sec. , the state pawnbroker licensing statute. The application must include a certified copy of that circuit court authorization order, the applicant's date of birth, and a sworn statement or affirmation disclosing any criminal convictions or pending criminal charges anywhere in or outside Virginia, plus whatever else the assessing official requires along with the business license fee. The license itself designates the specific building where the pawnbroker may operate, so a licensee cannot simply relocate without amending the license.

Once licensed, pawnbrokers fall under Chapter 58, Article III's operating rules: Sec. 58-52 requires examining a customer's identification before taking any article in pawn; Sec. 58-53 bars taking articles from minors; Sec. 58-54 and Sec. 58-55 require daily transaction records and daily reports to the Chief of Police, including photo ID copies and photographs of precious metals received, filed electronically to the police department's designated website; and Sec. 58-58 gives the Chief of Police a standing right to enter and search the premises for missing or stolen property.

A conviction under those sections is a Class 4 misdemeanor by default under Sec. 58-60, and Sec. 58-61 lets the license-issuing officer revoke the pawnbroker's license on top of that criminal penalty.