Frederick County, VA Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 155-102, Pawnbrokers
- License basis
- Taxed on gross receipts, same as retailers
- Itinerant pawnbrokers
- No business license issued
- Max penalty
- $2,500 fine and/or 12 months jail
- Enforcing office
- Commissioner of the Revenue
- State definition
- Va. Code § 54.1-4000 defines pawnbroker
Summary
Frederick County requires anyone running a pawnbroking business in the unincorporated county to hold a business license taxed on gross receipts, the same as a retailer, under County Code § 155-102. The license is available only to pawnbrokers with an established place of business; itinerant pawnbroking is barred outright, and operating without the required license is a criminal offense.
§ 155-102. Pawnbrokers. ... Pawnbrokers, as defined in § 54.1-4000, Code of Virginia, shall be licensed on their gross receipts and must pay the same license tax or fees as retailers as set forth in this chapter if they have an established place of business in Frederick County. No business license shall be issued to any itinerant pawnbroker. § 155-1 ... ... 10. Violations and penalties. A. It shall be unlawful to engage in any business, employment or profession for which a license is required by any of the provisions of this article without first having obtained such license, which shall be punishable by a fine of not more than $2,500 or by a jail sentence of not more than 12 months, or by both such fine and jail sentence.
Full Breakdown
Frederick County Code § 155-102, part of Chapter 155's business license article, folds pawnbrokers into the County's general licensing scheme rather than giving them a bespoke fee schedule. 1-4000 of the Code of Virginia who has an established place of business in Frederick County outside Winchester, Stephens City and Middletown must be licensed on gross receipts and pay the same license tax or fees the County charges retailers under Chapter 155. The section is short but pointed: no business license may be issued to an itinerant pawnbroker, so a pawn operation cannot legally run in the county without a fixed storefront the Commissioner of the Revenue can assess.
B, so a licensee cannot substitute one classification for the other to dodge either chapter's requirements. B bars issuance of any license until the applicant clears delinquent business license, real estate, personal property, meals and transient occupancy taxes owed to the County. C makes clear that engaging in the business without a license, or after being refused one, does not relieve the operator of the underlying tax.
Violations & Fines
Running a pawnbroking business in Frederick County without the required business license is unlawful under § 155-110.A: a fine of up to $2,500, up to 12 months in jail, or both. The County will not issue any license, including a pawnbroker's, until delinquent business, real estate, personal property or meals taxes are paid, per § 155-110.B, and unlicensed operation does not excuse the tax owed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Frederick County require a separate pawnbroker's license?
Can a traveling pawnbroker operate in the county without a storefront?
What happens if a pawnbroker operates without the license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Frederick County
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