Gilbert, AZ Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)

Chapter 14, Article VII, 'Pawnbrokers, Junk Dealers and Secondhand Dealers,' defines a pawnbroker in Section 14-201 as a person engaged in the business of advancing money on the security of pledged goods, or purchasing tangible personal property on the condition it may be redeemed or repurchased by the seller within a fixed or variable period. Section 14-203 requires every pawnbroker to hold a Town business license under Section 14-36 and pay a reporting fee set by town council resolution, with only 501(c)(3) charitable secondhand dealers exempted from that fee.

Section 14-204 requires pawnbrokers to maintain a transaction database on software approved by and compatible with the Gilbert Police Department, and to deliver a full report of every item received in pawn, pledge, trade, exchange or purchase within 24 hours, including a digital photograph of the item, an electronic signature and fingerprint of the seller, the bicycle frame number if applicable, and immediate telephone reporting of a firearm's serial number to police. Section 14-206(a) is the pawnbroker-specific hold: a pawnbroker may not alter, destroy, conceal, give away, sell, trade or dispose of any item for at least 20 days after delivering the required Section 14-204 report to the Gilbert Police Department.

Section 14-205 further requires any abandoned property, or property police flag as connected to a crime, to be turned over or placed on investigative hold and kept in the same condition and location until released in writing.