Las Vegas, NV Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- LVMC 6.60.030
- Citywide cap
- 25 licenses (2020 ordinance)
- Next cap increase
- at 700,000 population
- Semiannual fee
- $500 (pawnbroker)
- Auto-pawnbroker add-on fee
- $250 semiannual
Summary
Pawnbrokers in Las Vegas need a city license, and the total number allowed citywide is capped and grows only as the city's population grows.
No person shall conduct or transact a pawnbroking or auto-pawnbrokering business without a valid unexpired license as provided in this Code. ...there are twenty-four pawnbroker licenses within the City...Following the issuance of the twenty-fifth pawnbroker license...no additional new pawnbroker license may be granted...until the population of the City achieves or exceeds seven hundred thousand.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 61).
Full Breakdown
LVMC 6.60.030 bars anyone from conducting a pawnbroking or auto-pawnbrokering business without a valid, unexpired city license. The city caps the total number of pawnbroker licenses; as of the cap set by Ordinance 6723 there were 25 licenses citywide, and under 6.60.050 no new license can be issued until the certified city population reaches 700,000, after which one more license opens per 50,000-person increase, at the City Council's discretion. New licenses are awarded through a Director-run auction with a minimum opening bid. Applicants also face fingerprinting and background checks under 6.06.070, and licensees pay a $500 semiannual fee (plus $250 for auto-pawnbroker authority) under 6.60.040.
Violations & Fines
Operating as a pawnbroker without a license, or accepting motor vehicles as collateral without the separate auto-pawnbroker license, violates LVMC 6.60.030/6.60.035 and is enforceable as a license violation under the general penalty provisions of Title 1.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I just apply for a new pawnbroker license in Las Vegas?
Do pawnbrokers need a separate license to accept cars as collateral?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Las Vegas
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Pawnbrokers in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Clark County handle pawnbrokers.