Benton County, WA Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- BCC Chapter 4.16, Ord. 48 (1957)
- Recordkeeping
- Legible English transaction book, open to Sheriff inspection
- Daily report deadline
- Before noon to the Benton County Sheriff
- Hold period
- 48 hours before pledged property may leave premises
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor under BCC 4.16.050
- Scope
- Applies only in unincorporated Benton County
Summary
Benton County Code Chapter 4.16 requires every pawnbroker operating in unincorporated Benton County to keep a legible English-language transaction book recording each loan, sale, or pledge, report those transactions to the Sheriff before noon daily, and hold pledged property at least 48 hours before release. Violating the recordkeeping or reporting duties is a misdemeanor enforced by the Benton County Sheriff's Office.
"Pawnbroker" shall mean every person engaged, in whole or in part, in the business of loaning money on the security of pledges, deposits, or conditional sales of personal property. ... It shall be the duty of every pawn broker, second-hand dealer, and auto-wrecking yard doing business in the County of Benton to maintain in his place of business a book in which shall be legibly written in the English language, at the time of each loan, purchase or sale, a record thereof containing: ... The price paid or the amount loaned. ... Such record of all goods received shall at all times be open to the inspection of the law enforcement officers of the County of Benton.
Full Breakdown
010(a). 020, every pawnbroker doing business in unincorporated Benton County must keep a book, written legibly in English, recording each loan or purchase: the transaction date, the name of the person conducting it, the seller's name and address or a physical description if unknown, the property owner's name and address, a description of the property including maker and serial numbers for watches and inscriptions for jewelry, the price paid or amount loaned, the witnesses, and the pawn ticket number. That book stays open to inspection by Benton County law enforcement at all times.
030 requires the pawnbroker to deliver a full transcript of the previous day's transactions to the Benton County Sheriff before noon; Saturday's business may be reported the following Monday, and any property believed lost or stolen must be reported immediately. 040 bars removing pledged property from the place of business, except on redemption by the owner, until 48 hours after the transaction was reported to the Sheriff, unless the seller is personally known to and trusted by the pawnbroker. 060 limits the chapter to businesses principally engaged in this trade, exempting automobile dealers and retailers who merely take used goods as trade-in credit. 60 RCW.
Violations & Fines
Under BCC 4.16.050, a pawnbroker or employee who fails to record a required entry, makes a false entry, destroys or falsifies the book, refuses a Sheriff's inspection, misreports to the Sheriff, fails to deliver the daily transcript by noon, fails to report suspected stolen property, releases pledged goods before the 48-hour hold expires, or accepts property from a minor, intoxicated person, or known thief is guilty of a misdemeanor, prosecuted separately from any Chapter 19.60 RCW state licensing penalty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Benton County require pawnbrokers to hold a county license?
How long must a Benton County pawnbroker hold pledged property before selling it?
What happens if a pawnbroker fails to report daily transactions to the Sheriff?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Benton County
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