Clayton County, GA Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)

Clayton County Code § 22-168(a) makes it unlawful to operate a pawnshop anywhere in the unincorporated county without both a current occupation tax certificate and a pawnshop permit issued by the county police department. Section 22-168(c) hard-caps the county at 11 pawnbroker permits total, and blocks any new permit until unincorporated population passes 300,000, after which one additional permit opens for each 25,000 residents above the original 279,462 threshold. If population growth frees up a new permit, § 22-168(d) requires a public notice and a 45-day application window, and § 22-168(e) requires a lottery, run by the department of community development, if more applications come in than permits are available.

A permit is personal to its holder, tied to one approved location, and cannot be transferred except that a surviving business partner may take over a deceased partner's interest, per § 22-168(g)-(h); the certificate and permit numbers must be displayed on the front window in letters at least three inches tall under § 22-168(i). Every employee who works in a pawnshop needs a separate permit under § 22-167, available only to someone at least 18 with no felony or theft, drug, fraud or property-crime conviction in the past 10 years, who is fingerprinted and photographed for a county investigation that has up to 10 days to clear; a denied applicant can request a hearing within 10 days and appeal an adverse decision to the county manager.

title 44, chapter 12, article 3, part 5, and § 22-171(2)-(5) requires a fingerprint, photograph and verified government ID from every customer pawning or selling an item.