Fountain Valley, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit fee
- Set by City Council resolution, plus investigation fee
- Police reports
- Every Monday and Thursday before ten a.m.
- Holding period
- Thirty days, kept unaltered and separate
- Record retention
- Three years
- Closed hours
- Midnight Saturday to seven a.m. Monday; ten p.m. to seven a.m. other weekdays
- Disqualifier
- Felony conviction, prima facie (§ 4.50.050)
Summary
In the City of Fountain Valley, California, a pawnbroker needs a city permit under Municipal Code Chapter 4.50, which requires fingerprints, a photograph and Orange County references. Pawnshops report to the police department every Monday and Thursday and must hold every item thirty days.
The term "pawnbroker" shall mean a person, firm or corporation engaged in conducting, managing or carrying on the business of loaning money, for himself or for any other person, upon personal property, personal security, pawns or pledges, or the business of purchasing articles of personal property and reselling or agreeing to resell such articles to the vendors or their assignees, at prices agreed upon at or before the time of such purchase. ... In addition to the general application information required by Section 4.04.070 and the payment of the permit application fee required by Section 4.02.040, specific application information for a pawnbroker's permit is required. ... A person shall be prima facie disqualified for a pawnshop or secondhand dealer permit if he has been convicted of a felony.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 4.50 of the Fountain Valley Municipal Code covers pawnbrokers and secondhand dealers in the City of Fountain Valley. Section 4.50.010 defines a pawnbroker as anyone loaning money on personal property, security, pawns or pledges, or buying personal property and reselling or agreeing to resell it to the seller at a price fixed at or before the purchase. Section 4.50.020 defines a pawnshop as any room, store or place where that business is carried on.
Applicants follow the general permit application in section 4.04.070 and pay the application fee under 4.02.040, which the City Council sets by resolution and which excludes the police department's separate fingerprint fee. Section 4.50.040 adds a two by two inch head-and-shoulders photograph taken within sixty days of filing, fingerprints, and the names of at least two reliable Orange County property owners who will vouch for the applicant's character, or other evidence of good moral character and business responsibility. An investigation fee is set by City Council resolution. Renewal applicants who already met the photograph and reference requirements are excused from repeating them. A felony conviction, including a guilty or nolo contendere plea, makes an applicant prima facie disqualified under 4.50.050, and the chief of police can obtain state criminal history information. The license collector mails a decision within sixty days (4.04.090). Section 4.02.050 also requires the Title 5 business license.
Once open, a pawnshop delivers a complete report of goods received, pledged or purchased to the police department each Monday and Thursday before ten a.m. (4.50.060). It keeps records for three years, open to the chief of police or any officer during business hours (4.50.070), holds each item unaltered for thirty days before sale (4.50.090), and cannot accept a pledge or do business from midnight Saturday to seven a.m. Monday or from ten p.m. to seven a.m. on other weekdays (4.50.100).
Violations & Fines
Failing to file a report, keep a record or show goods to the chief of police or any officer on demand is unlawful under section 4.50.080. Violating Title 4 is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in the county jail, or both, each day a separate offense, and a conviction revokes and voids the permit (4.04.170).
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fountain Valley
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