Fairfax County, VA Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)
Key Facts
- License cap
- 12 locations countywide
- Annual fee
- $25 per license
- Authorization
- Circuit court required
- Term
- 1 year, non-transferable
Summary
Fairfax County caps pawnbrokers at 12 licensed locations countywide and makes the license hard to get: circuit court authorization must come before the Director of Cable and Consumer Services will issue it, a $25 annual fee applies, and a recent felony conviction disqualifies the applicant.
(a)No person shall engage in the business of a pawnbroker without having a valid license issued by the Director. (b)Upon authorization of the circuit court, the Director may issue to any individual, who has not been convicted of a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude in the last ten years, a license to engage in the business of a pawnbroker in the county.
Full Breakdown
Two sections work together. Section 33-2-2 limits the business to no more than 12 licensed pawnbroker locations in the county, so a would-be pawnbroker can be shut out simply because every slot is taken. Section 33-2-3 then sets the path for the licenses that do exist. Under subsection (a), no person may engage in the business of a pawnbroker without a valid license issued by the Director, meaning the Director of Cable and Consumer Services. Under subsection (b), the Director may issue that license only upon authorization of the circuit court, which makes the court the first stop, and only to an individual who has not been convicted of a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude in the last ten years.
Applicants must disclose any such conviction. The license itself is tightly drawn: it costs $25 a year, names the single building where business may be conducted, runs one year, and is non-transferable, so it cannot be sold with the shop or carried to a new address without going back through the court and the Director.
Violations & Fines
Operating as a pawnbroker without a court-authorized license, or at a location other than the one named on the license, is a Class 1 misdemeanor, and each day of violation is a separate offense under Section 33-2-3(e).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Fairfax County limit how many pawnshops can operate?
Who approves a new pawnbroker license?
What disqualifies an applicant?
Can I move or sell my pawnbroker license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fairfax County
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