Los Angeles, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit authority
- Board of Police Commissioners
- Police hold-order
- 30 days on property acquired in the course of business
- Auction limit
- Maximum 2 days per calendar month
- Auction notice
- 10 days advance written notice to the Board required
- Auction items
- Only unredeemed pledges may be sold; must be listed in the notice with original loan numbers
- Location change
- Requires Board endorsement and change-of-location fee
Summary
Operating a pawnshop in Los Angeles requires a written permit from the Board of Police Commissioners. Police officers may place 30-day hold orders on property acquired by pawnbrokers, and auction sales at pawnshop premises are limited to a maximum of two days per calendar month.
(b) Permit Required. No person shall engage in, manage, conduct or carry on the business of a pawnbroker without a written permit from the Board.
(d) Hold-Order by Police. A police officer may place a hold-order upon property acquired by a pawnbroker in the course of the pawnbroker's business, for a period of 30 days, and upon release of such property may require such pawnbroker to keep a record of the disposition of such property. It shall be unlawful for any person to dispose of any property contrary to any hold-order issued by a police officer.
(e) Auctions.
1. Notice to Board. The pawnbroker, or the auctioneer employed by the pawnbroker...shall give ten days notice, in writing, to the Board prior to commencing such auction sale. Such notice shall contain the location of the sale, the name of the auctioneer, the date of the sale, the hours during which the sale shall be conducted, and a complete list of all the property to be sold at such sale, with detailed identifying description of the property, including the original loan number.
2. Unredeemed Pledges. The only property that may be sold at an auction sale at such location, shall be the unredeemed pledges in the original condition...
3. Two-Day Limit. The total time during which a pawnbroker may conduct auction sales shall not exceed two days in any calendar month.
Full Breakdown
A 'Pawnbroker' is defined to include persons engaged in pawnbroking, lending money on personal property in the lender's possession, or purchasing articles for resale at agreed-upon prices. A change of business location must be endorsed on the permit by the Board, accompanied by a change-of-location fee. Auction sales at pawnshop premises require 10 days' advance written notice to the Board, must involve only unredeemed pledges, and each pledge must bear a tag with the original loan number. Police hold-orders are enforceable: disposing of held property is unlawful.
Violations & Fines
Unlawful to dispose of property subject to a police hold-order. Operating as a pawnbroker without a written permit violates LAMC § 103.306. Violating auction conditions is subject to general LAMC enforcement. No specific fine amount is stated in § 103.306.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do pawnshops in LA need a special city permit beyond a business license?
Can the police hold items at a pawnshop?
Can a pawnshop hold auctions at its own premises?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Los Angeles
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Pawnbrokers in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle pawnbrokers.