Island County, WA Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)

010 defines a pawnbroker as anyone engaged, in whole or part, in loaning money on the security of pledges of personal property, or in the deposit, conditional sale, purchase, or sale of personal property. Every pawnbroker doing business in the unincorporated area of Island County needs a county pawnbroker's and secondhand dealer's license from the Island County Auditor, with the application routed through the Sheriff's Office for review before it can issue. The Board of County Commissioners can revoke a license for cause after giving the licensee notice and a hearing.

Licensees must keep a permanent register of every loan or purchase recording the customer's signature, date, a description of the property down to serial numbers and, for firearms, caliber and barrel length, the price paid, and the type of government ID checked, and must report those transactions to the Island County Sheriff. 100 sets pawnbrokers apart from ordinary secondhand dealers: a pawnbroker cannot resell anything bought or pledged for four days after reporting it to the Sheriff, unless the Sheriff has already inspected the item and released it in writing sooner, giving law enforcement a window to check whether the property is stolen before it moves back into commerce.