Fresno, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)

Fresno Municipal Code Chapter 9, Article 6 regulates every pawnbroker and secondhand dealer in the city. Section 9-607 makes a Police Chief permit mandatory before anyone "engage[s] in, conduct[s], manage[s] or carr[ies] on the business of pawnbroker or secondhand dealer," and Section 9-612 requires the applicant to file a signed application listing home and business addresses, a description of the goods to be sold, a passport-style 2-inch by 2-inch photograph taken within 60 days, fingerprints, and a sworn statement disclosing any prior criminal convictions. Section 9-606 forces every dealer to hold purchased merchandise, including vehicle radios, for at least 15 days before resale, kept separate from other stock and "exposed for police inspection during business hours" throughout the hold.

every day except Sundays and legal holidays, describing each item bought or received in the prior 24 hours along with the seller's name, vehicle description, and license plate. on Fridays, Saturdays, days before holidays, and the 24 days preceding Christmas. Section 9-608 makes revocation mandatory for any violation of the article, with a six-month bar on reapplying. Section 9-613 exempts donated goods and electronic, general-retail, and large-format retail businesses from the article entirely.