Homestead, FL Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- Yes, before operating (Sec. 16-222)
- Annual license fee
- $131.25 (Sec. 16-225)
- Felony bar
- 10 years for felony, 3 for article violation
- Item retention period
- 30 days minimum (Sec. 16-232)
- Daily reporting
- Report to police chief by noon daily
- Transaction hours limit
- No buying sunset to 7 a.m.
Summary
Homestead licenses pawnbrokers as secondhand dealers under Article X of Chapter 16. Sec. 16-221 folds pawnbrokers into the secondhand-dealer definition, Sec. 16-222 bars operating without a license, and the license carries a $131.25 annual fee plus daily police reporting and a 30-day retention duty.
Such term shall include pawnbrokers and all dealers who buy, trade or sell or who make loans of money upon the deposit or pledge of, any articles of a secondhand nature, such as plumbing and electrical fixtures, old gold, jewelry of all descriptions, furniture, bicycles, machinery, tools, water pumps, electric motors, electric heating, drying, etc., apparatus, musical instruments, typewriters, guns, revolvers, pistols, shotguns, rifles or any other article of value of a secondhand nature. ... No person in the city shall carry on the business of secondhand dealer, as defined in section 16-221, without first having obtained and paid for a license.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 87).
Full Breakdown
Article X of Chapter 16 regulates secondhand dealers, and Sec. 16-221 expressly defines that term to include pawnbrokers and anyone who buys, trades, sells or lends money against the pledge of secondhand goods such as jewelry, tools, electronics or firearms. Sec. 16-222 makes it unlawful to carry on that business in the city without first obtaining and paying for a license, applied for on a city form under Sec. 16-223 that discloses the applicant's residence history and any felony conviction. Sec. 25, and Sec. 16-226 bars issuing a license to anyone convicted of a felony within the past ten years or of an Article X violation within the past three.
Once licensed, Sec. other than used automobiles, from dealing with an obviously intoxicated person or an unaccompanied minor, and from refusing a police inspection of the premises at any time; the same section requires holding every item, other than a used automobile, for at least 30 days so the true owner can redeem it. Sec. 16-236 requires a police-approved record book logging a description of every item pawned or bought, the amount paid, the date, and the seller's name, signature, address and physical description, and Sec.
16-237 obligates the pawnbroker to deliver a daily transaction report to the police chief's office by noon each day. Sec. 16-234 requires a posted sign identifying the business as a secondhand dealer with its license number.
Violations & Fines
Operating as a pawnbroker without the Sec. 16-222 license, buying from an intoxicated person or unaccompanied minor, refusing a police inspection, or failing to hold an item the required 30 days under Sec. 16-232 are each declared unlawful acts under Article X, and a license found in violation can be denied renewal or revoked, with no reapplication permitted for six months absent a change in circumstances under Sec. 16-224.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Homestead require a special license to run a pawnshop?
How much does a Homestead pawnbroker license cost?
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What records must a Homestead pawnbroker keep on every transaction?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Homestead
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