Gordon County, GA Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)

Pawnbroker regulation in unincorporated Gordon County lives in Article VIII of Chapter 7 of the Gordon County Code, Sections 7-251 through 7-258, adopted by ordinance on July 6, 2010 and amended in 2020 (Sections 7-254 and 7-257). The Gordon County Sheriff's Department enforces it under Section 7-252. The definitions reach past the owner: a pawnbroker is anyone who works in a pawnshop on a regular basis in a managerial capacity, and an employee is anyone who works there part time or full time, paid or not.

Section 7-253 requires each person to register with the Sheriff's Department before operating a pawnshop or becoming an employee. Registration states the address of the pawnshop and gives the full name, address, phone number, date of birth and Social Security Number of every employee or pawnbroker, and it is renewed annually. The article prints no registration fee amount.

Section 7-254 requires a permanent electronic record of every pawn, trade or sale, sent to the sheriff through an automated reporting system. Each entry carries nine items, including the date and time, the customer's name, address and telephone number, a physical description with a driver's license or photo ID number, the item's serial or model number, the receipt number, the price paid or amount loaned, the maturity date of a pawn, a photograph of the customer and the item, and the customer's signature. Shops enter transactions as they occur or upload a batch file at the close of each business day, keep a three-day supply of paper forms for outages, and pay a fee per reported transaction set by the Sheriff or his designee.

Section 7-255 holds pledged goods for at least 30 days and non-pledged goods for at least 7 calendar days before any sale, transfer or shipment. Section 7-256 bars dealing with anyone under 18. Section 7-257 requires reporting to the sheriff any item believed lost or stolen, any item with a removed serial number, and surrender of stolen items on demand.