Fontana, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required before
- Business license issued
- Report deadline
- Noon the day after acquisition
- Records retained
- 3 years, triplicate kept on-site
- ID assigned by
- Chief of police
- State law reference
- Fin. Code Sec. 21000; B&P Code Sec. 21626
Summary
Fontana pawnbrokers need a city permit before opening and must report every item they buy, pawn, or take on consignment to the police chief by noon the day after acquiring it. The chief of police assigns each dealer a tracking number kept on file for three years.
(16)Pawnbrokers, secondhand stores or dealers.a.The terms "pawnbroker," "secondhand store or dealer," and "business machine dealer" are defined, for purposes of any ordinance of the city, as indicated in Financial Code § 21000, and in Business and Professions Code § 21626.b.Any person operating in such capacity as described in this subsection within the city shall report all identifiable secondhand tangible personal property which he has purchased, taken in trade, taken in pawn, taken in for repair, accepted for sale on consignment, or accepted for auctioning, to the chief of police no later than 12:00 noon of the day following the acquisition of such property. Reports shall be made on a form approved by the police department and shall consist of no less than an original and two copies.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 64 | Zoning and Development Code: Supplement 17).
Full Breakdown
Fontana Municipal Code Sec. 15-50 bars any person from operating, and bars the city from issuing a business license for, a list of regulated businesses, including pawnbrokers, until a written permit application has been approved. Subsection (16) defines pawnbroker using the state's Financial Code Sec. 21000 and Business and Professions Code Sec. 21626, and requires anyone operating as a pawnbroker to report all identifiable secondhand tangible personal property purchased, taken in trade, taken in pawn, taken in for repair, accepted on consignment, or accepted for auction to the chief of police no later than 12:00 noon the day after acquisition.
Reports go on a police department-approved form, submitted as an original plus two copies; the original and duplicate go to police, and the dealer keeps the triplicate on-site for three years, available for inspection by any law enforcement officer. Each pawnbroker bears the cost of the report forms and may choose the printer. On issuance of the city business license, the chief of police assigns a secondhand dealer number, logged at the police department and printed on every form the dealer submits; the department also reports each issued number to the state bureau of identification's property identification unit.
Property described in Business and Professions Code Sec. 21629(a) through (f) is exempt from the reporting duty, and the police department must give each dealer copies of the relevant law when the tracking number is issued.
Violations & Fines
Operating as a pawnbroker without the Sec. 15-50 permit, or without filing the required acquisition reports, is enforced as a violation of the business license article; Sec. 15-32 makes any violation of the licensing article an infraction punishable under Sec. 1-7.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Fontana pawnbrokers need a separate permit from their business license?
How fast must a Fontana pawnbroker report an item purchased or pawned?
Is any property exempt from a Fontana pawnbroker's reporting duty?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fontana
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