Erie, PA Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)
Key Facts
- Reporting frequency
- Every 24 hours, in writing
- Recipient
- Chief of Police
- Report must include
- Item description, seller's name & address
- Penalty
- Fine up to $300 or 90 days jail
- Originating ordinance
- Ord. 3816, passed 1-29-2014
Summary
Erie doesn't license pawnshops through a separate permit process, it makes them report to police instead. Codified Ordinances § 345.01 requires every pawnshop and secondhand-goods store to send the Chief of Police a written report every 24 hours listing all items received by pawn or sale, with full descriptions and the seller's name and address.
§ 345.01. Report to police. Every owner, proprietor or other person in charge of any pawnshop or store, where used or secondhand articles are bought and sold, shall furnish to the Chief of Police a report in writing, every 24 hours, of all articles, goods and chattels received by them, either by pawn or by sale. § 345.02. Contents of report. The report shall contain a full list of all articles, goods and chattels received by them, and shall fully describe the articles received, together with the name, address and description of the person pawning or selling the same. § 345.99. Penalty. Any person violating any of the provisions of this article, upon conviction, shall be fined not more than $300 or imprisoned not more than 90 days, or both.
Full Breakdown
Erie regulates pawnshops and secondhand dealers together under Codified Ordinances Article 345, added by Ordinance No. 3816 on January 29, 2014. Rather than a separate city license, the ordinance imposes a mandatory daily reporting duty: every owner, proprietor, or other person in charge of a pawnshop or a store buying and selling used or secondhand articles must send the Chief of Police a written report every 24 hours listing every item received that day, whether taken in by pawn or by outright purchase.
Section 345.02 spells out what the report has to contain. Logging the item is not enough, the shop must fully describe each article, good and chattel received and record the name, address and description of the person who pawned or sold it. That paper trail lets Erie police cross-reference incoming merchandise against stolen-property reports and identify sellers quickly.
The article carries its own penalty clause, § 345.99, dating to Ordinance No. 47-1966: any person violating any provision of Article 345 is guilty of a summary offense punishable, upon conviction, by a fine of not more than $300, imprisonment of not more than 90 days, or both. Because the reporting duty runs every 24 hours, a shop that fails to file could face a separate violation for each missed report.
Article 345 sits inside the City's Business Regulations code and cross-references the used-bicycle sale rule at 533.06, underscoring that Erie treats used-goods dealers, pawnshops included, as a category needing continuous police oversight rather than a one-time licensing check.
Violations & Fines
Failing to file the required 24-hour report, or omitting the seller's name, address, or item description required by § 345.02, is a summary offense under § 345.99. Conviction carries a fine of not more than $300, imprisonment of not more than 90 days, or both, and Erie police can pursue a separate charge for each day a shop operates without submitting its report.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What information must the report include?
What happens if a pawnshop owner ignores the reporting rule?
Does Erie require a separate license for pawnbrokers?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Erie
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