Green Bay, WI Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)

Section 10-1 adopts Wis. Stats. § 134.71, the state pawnbroker and secondhand-dealer statute, into the City Code by reference, so a violation of the state law is also a violation of this chapter. Section 10-19(7) puts 'secondhand dealers and pawnbrokers' on the City's list of businesses that must carry a license, at the fee set in the City Fee Schedule, running one year unless the section says otherwise. Under § 10-20(b)(6), the City Clerk issues the pawnbroker license directly, but only after the Chief of Police signs off, unlike some licenses on the list that go straight to the Common Council.

Before the Clerk can issue or renew any license under this chapter, § 10-20(c) requires the applicant to be current on personal property taxes, room taxes, and any other claims or judgments owed the City, including debts tied to a previously licensed business at the same address if the new license follows a sale or transfer. An applicant who believes the Clerk got that determination wrong can appeal to the Common Council, which holds a hearing through the Finance Committee, and the City must refund any amount improperly collected with passbook interest from the date paid.

Violations of this chapter, including operating without the required pawnbroker license, are punished under § 10-23 with a forfeiture of not less than $5.00 nor more than $500.00 per offense, plus prosecution costs; unpaid forfeitures can mean up to 90 days in the Brown County Jail. The City can still pursue other remedies to stop an ongoing violation regardless of the forfeiture.