Lakeland, FL Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)

Under Lakeland Code § 82-2(a), anyone wanting to operate as a pawnbroker must submit a written, signed application to the chief code enforcement officer stating the applicant's name and residence (or, for a firm, its officers), the kind of property to be loaned upon, bought or sold, and the business address, and must accept that the license may be suspended or revoked for cause by the city commission after ten days' written notice and a hearing at which the licensee can be heard. Section 82-1 defines a pawnbroker as "a secondhand dealer who is regularly engaged in the business of making pawns," excluding banks and other lenders on stocks, bonds or securities.

Once licensed, § 82-4 makes the pawnshop's premises subject to inspection by city authorities at any time, and refusing entry is grounds to suspend or revoke the license. Section 82-5 requires every pawnbroker to hold all pawned or purchased articles for 15 calendar days from acquisition before disposing of them, with narrow exceptions for rags, paper, bottles and certain graded bullion coins. the next business day for weekend or holiday transactions. If police have reason to believe a pawned item is tied to a criminal investigation, § 82-8 lets an officer order it held up to 90 days, with the pawnbroker entitled to ask the chief of police to review that hold.