Lower Paxton, PA Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)

Article III of Chapter 137, Pawnbrokers, was adopted by the Lower Paxton Township Board of Supervisors under Ord. No. 17-06 (5-15-2017). Section 137-28 defines a pawnbroker, whether transient or permanent, as a person who accepts money on the deposit or pledge of personal property, purchases personal property with an agreement to sell it back at a stipulated price, or accepts money for goods pledged, stored or deposited as collateral security.

The core rule is the seven-day hold in § 137-32: no pawnbroker may sell or dispose of an article until seven days have elapsed from the time of furnishing the police a form with the article information required by § 137-30. That report is due daily, before 12:00 noon of the following day of business, and must describe every article received the previous business day, with ticket numbers and a description of the person making the pledge, including name, address, date of birth, race, sex and operator's number. The Police Department supplies the forms, and reports go in digitally unless the Department authorizes another method.

Section 137-29 requires a digital record or book, in English, with a full description of each article (brand names, model number, serial number, inscribed initials), the date and time of pledging, the date and time the pledge is to be redeemed, the amount lent, and the pledger's identifying details. Section 137-31 bars accepting a pledge from a person under the age of 18, an intoxicated person or any known thief.

Section 137-39 gives an affirmative defense to a retention charge in the case of precious metals, but only when holding the metal for the required period would have caused serious and substantial economic loss in a rapid, highly fluctuating market, and the defendant must prove it by a preponderance of the evidence. Section 137-40 lets any police officer with a badge and identification demand information, including all transaction records for the past 24 months.

Article III as printed contains no license fee or application procedure of its own, although § 137-40 refers to licenses being revoked.