Decatur, GA Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit issuer
- Public safety department (annual)
- Employees
- Individually fingerprinted and permitted
- Hours
- 7:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m., Mon-Sat
- Resale hold
- 30 days minimum
- Record deadline
- Within 1 hour of transaction
- Barred customers
- Minors cannot pawn goods
- Penalty
- Fine/jail plus license revocation
Summary
Operating a pawnshop, or working in one, inside the City of Decatur, DeKalb County, Georgia requires an annual permit from the public safety department under Code § 22-229, on top of the standard business license, and the same article layers on fingerprinting, daily transaction reports and fixed hours.
(a)All persons, before beginning the business of operating a pawnshop or becoming an employee of a pawnshop or similar place where money is advanced on goods or other effects or merchandise of any kind is taken in pawn, shall first file an application with the public safety department and obtain an annual permit to conduct or be employed in the business. No permit shall be issued until a fee in the amount established by the city commissioners and set forth in the schedule of fees and charges is paid to the city clerk.(b)All pawnshops shall have a valid business license. The requirements of this section are in addition to the requirements of article II of this chapter. ... (d)No business license shall be issued to a person until the permit required by this section has been approved by the public safety department.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 28).
Full Breakdown
Section 22-229 requires anyone who wants to run a pawnshop, or be employed at one, to file an application with the public safety department and obtain an annual permit before starting, with no permit issued until the required fee is paid to the city clerk; a pawnshop also needs the ordinary business license required of any business under article II of the same chapter. The application must list the business address plus the full name, address, phone number, date of birth and Social Security number of everyone with an ownership interest, including any pawnbroker, along with fingerprints if the department requires them.
Section 22-231 bars anyone convicted of a crime of moral turpitude, theft, or a crime against property from being connected with the business at all. Section 22-230 requires every employee to be individually fingerprinted and separately permitted before working. Section 22-232 requires records of every item pledged, traded or sold, made within an hour of the transaction, plus a photograph and right-index fingerprint of the person pawning it. m. , Monday through Saturday, Section 22-235 requires a 30-day hold before resale, and Section 22-236 bars taking pawns from minors.
Violations & Fines
Section 22-227 makes any violation of the pawnshop article punishable, on conviction, under the general penalty in § 1-12, up to a $1,000 fine, six months in jail, or both. It also lets the city separately deny, suspend, or revoke the pawnshop's business license for a violation of the article or of any other ordinance covering the conduct of the business, so a permit problem can shut the shop down even without a criminal case.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Decatur, GA pawnshop need a special permit beyond a business license?
What hours can a Decatur pawnshop be open?
How long must a Decatur pawnbroker hold an item before reselling it?
Can a pawnshop in Decatur take items from a minor?
What happens if a Decatur pawnbroker violates these rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Decatur
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