Hialeah, FL Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)
Key Facts
- License fee
- $100.00 annually
- Holding period
- 15 days before sale
- Pawning curfew
- Banned 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- Background check
- Required, applicant-paid
- Records retention
- 1 year, in-store binder
- Disqualifying record
- Theft-type conviction within 10 years
Summary
Anyone pawning or reselling gold, silver or platinum in Hialeah must hold a $100 precious metal dealer license from the business tax division, pass a police background check, and hold pledged items at least 15 days before sale, with pawning banned between 5 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Items containing gold, silver, platinum, or other precious metal and jewelry, diamonds, gems, and other precious stones shall be held by a precious metal dealer, on the premises, or the precious metal dealer shall be able to produce the item within 24 hours, not including weekends, for a period of 15 days prior to sale, exchange, or other disposition thereof. ... Pawning or loaning on any article covered by this article, between the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., the following morning [is unlawful].
Full Breakdown
Hialeah Code of Ordinances Sec. 18-371 defines a "precious metal dealer" as anyone who normally or regularly buys used gold, silver or platinum for resale, or who owns smelting equipment to melt it down, excluding retailers who only take precious metal as trade-in on new goods they originally sold, and coin/currency dealers. Sec. 00 fee, and renew annually; the license is separate from and in addition to any business tax receipt. Sec. 18-402 requires a full police background investigation of the applicant, paid for by the applicant.
Sec. 051, unless civil rights have been restored, and the same bar applies to any employee hired within that period. Sec. 18-373 requires dealers to hold pledged precious metal items on the premises, or be able to produce them within 24 hours, for 15 days before sale or disposition, unless the true owner redeems the item sooner, and dealers must keep proof-of-ownership records for redemptions. Sec. , operating without a valid license, operating from an unlicensed location, and using a drive-through window for transactions. Sec.
18-406 caps the total number of precious metal dealer licenses citywide based on population, folded into the same population-based quota used for secondhand goods dealers under Sec. 18-466.
Violations & Fines
Recordkeeping failures draw warnings only for the first three offenses under Sec. 18-372(f). Operating without a valid precious metal dealer license, pawning outside the 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. curfew, buying from an intoxicated person or unaccompanied minor under 18, refusing a police inspection, or using a drive-through window are unlawful acts under Sec. 18-375 subject to the Code's general penalties, and a criminal conviction under the article can trigger license revocation or conditioning by the city council under Sec. 18-405 after a noticed public hearing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a special license to pawn gold or jewelry in Hialeah?
How long must a Hialeah precious metal dealer hold a pawned item?
Can a precious metal dealer accept pawns at night?
Can someone with a theft conviction get a pawn license in Hialeah?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hialeah
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