Cleveland County, NC Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)

§ 91A-12. Section 5-80 makes it unlawful to establish or conduct a pawnshop in the unincorporated county without a license. Section 5-81 sets the eligibility bar: an applicant must be of good moral character and free of any felony conviction in the last ten years, and the petition must state the applicant's name and address (or, for a firm or corporation, every officer, director and stockholder), the business name and location, a statement of net assets verified by an accountant, a no-felony affidavit, and a police or sheriff's certificate confirming no felony record.

The Cleveland County Clerk to the Board reviews applications and issues licenses under Section 5-90, and every licensee must file a five-thousand-dollar bond with the county under Section 5-89. Section 5-82 requires a consecutively numbered pawn ticket for every transaction recording the pledgor's identification, description of the item, amount advanced, due date, and required disclosures, including the statement that unredeemed goods are subject to sale after sixty days past the maturity date; these records must be open to the sheriff's inspection every regular workday. Section 5-85 bars a pawnbroker from taking a pledge from anyone under eighteen, requiring personal liability from a pledgor, or selling pledged goods within forty-eight hours of the transaction.

A knowing violation of the article carries a five-hundred-dollar civil penalty per day under Section 5-86, and the license of an owner, major stockholder or managing partner who knowingly violates the article may be suspended at the court's discretion.