La Mesa, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)

Chapter 6.08 groups "Pawn shops" with bus services, escort services and fortune-telling as special-service businesses that pay a flat annual license fee of $100 under §6.08.035, rather than the general $35-plus-$3-per-employee rate that applies to unlisted retail and service businesses under §6.08.030. Beyond the fee, Chapter 2.90 (Use of Criminal History Information in Employment and Licensing) lists "Pawnbrokers" among the city licenses and permits, alongside massage parlors, card rooms, taxicabs and bingo operators, for which a felony or misdemeanor conviction, including guilty or no-contest pleas, is prima facie disqualifying under §2.90.020.

The city licensing authority may nonetheless disregard a conviction if it finds mitigating circumstances, weighing the type of license sought, the offense's nature and seriousness, the circumstances of the conviction, time elapsed, the applicant's age at conviction, evidence of rehabilitation, and contributing social or environmental conditions. Designated city officers, including the city manager, finance director, personnel officer, city attorney and chief of police, are authorized under Penal Code §11105 to access state summary criminal history to make that determination. A disqualified applicant must appeal in writing to the city clerk within 10 days of the disqualification notice, and the city council must hear and decide the appeal within 90 days, with its determination final. Every pawnbroker, like other licensees, must also comply with the recordkeeping, posting and confidentiality rules generally applicable to Chapter 6.04/6.08 business licenses.