Lynwood, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required
- From the license collector before operating
- Daily reporting
- Buy-forms filed with the chief of police
- Hold period, clothing/furs
- 4 months after loan due date
- Hold period, other items
- 6 months after loan due date
- Closed hours
- 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m., Mon-Sat
- Holiday closures
- New Year's, Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas
Summary
In the City of Lynwood, pawnbrokers must get a permit from the license collector before receiving goods in pledge as loan security. Chief of police buy-forms track every transaction, pledged clothing and furs must be held four months, other items six months, and pawnshops must stay closed overnight and on set holidays.
Pawnbroker shall mean any person engaged in the business of receiving goods in pledge as security for a loan. Pawnshop shall mean any room, store, building or other place in which the business of a pawnbroker is engaged. ... 4-23.4 Permit Required; Filing Fee. No person shall engage in the business of a junk dealer, secondhand dealer or pawnbroker without first obtaining a permit from the License Collector. ... 4-23.10 Requirements Applicable to Pawnbrokers. ... ... d. Each pawnbroker shall retain in his possession, after the date on which the loan became due and payable, clothing and furs pledged to him for a period of four (4) months and every other article pledged to him for a period of six (6) months. ... 4-23.13 Hours of Business. No person engaging in any business subject to this section shall accept any pledge of or loan money upon personal property or purchase or receive any goods or any article or thing or engage in or conduct any such business in any manner: a. Between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. on any day from Monday through Saturday, inclusive.
Full Breakdown
Lynwood Municipal Code § 4-23 defines a pawnbroker as any person engaged in the business of receiving goods in pledge as security for a loan, operating out of a pawnshop, and folds that business into the same licensing article covering junk dealers and secondhand dealers. No one may engage in the pawnbroker business without first obtaining a permit from the license collector, whose filing fee is set by city council resolution. Every pawnbroker must report daily to the chief of police on standardized buy-forms recording each item received in pledge or purchased, along with the pledgor's identification, and must keep a pawnbook recording the date, duration, amount, interest rate and description of every loan; both the buy-forms and pawnbook must be produced on demand for inspection by police or under a search warrant or court order.
A pawnbroker must hold pledged clothing and furs for four months after a loan becomes due and unpaid, and hold every other pledged article for six months, giving borrowers a window to redeem their property before it can be resold. Pawnshops must stay closed between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday, closed from 7:00 p.m. Saturday until 8:00 a.m. Monday except limited evening sales-only hours, and closed entirely on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas, though the shop may stay open until 10:00 p.m. from December 14 through 24 for sales only.
Violations & Fines
Operating as a pawnbroker without a license collector permit, failing to file daily buy-forms or maintain the pawnbook, or opening during prohibited hours violates § 4-23 and, absent a specific penalty, is punishable under the city's general misdemeanor provision, § 1-5, with a fine up to $1,000, up to six months in county jail, or both.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lynwood
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