Madera, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)
Key Facts
- Annual license tax
- $200 flat per year
- Covers
- Pawn loans and buy-resell pledges
- Exemption
- Persons exempt under state/federal law
- Late penalty
- 10% after 30 days delinquent
Summary
Madera taxes every pawnbroker $200 a year under its business license code, defining the trade broadly to cover both pawn loans against pledged goods and buy-resell arrangements agreed on at purchase.
Every person engaged in the business of a pawnbroker shall pay a license tax of $200 per year. For the purposes of this section, PAWNBROKER shall mean and include every person managing, conducting, or carrying on the business of loaning money, either for himself or for any other person, and receiving goods, wares, or merchandise as a pledge or pawn in security for the payment of such loan, or who purchases articles of personal property and resells, or agrees to resell, such personal property to vendors or their assigns at prices agreed upon at, or before, the time of such purchase; provided, however, this section shall not apply to persons exempt from the payment of municipal license taxes under state or federal laws.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2024 S-50: Current through Ordinance 1010 C.S., passed 6-5-24).
Full Breakdown
22. The section's definition reaches two distinct business models: a pawnbroker is anyone who loans money, for themselves or someone else, and takes goods, wares, or merchandise as a pledge or pawn to secure repayment, and it separately reaches anyone who purchases personal property and resells or agrees to resell it to vendors or their assigns at a price agreed on at or before the purchase. The one carve-out in the section exempts persons who are exempt from municipal license taxes under state or federal law.
05 makes operating any business in Madera without first securing the required license unlawful, with each day of unlicensed operation counted as a separate violation. 06 requires the License Tax Collector to properly classify the applicant's business and set the fee accordingly before issuing the license, which states the licensee's name, the kind of business, and the address where it operates.
Violations & Fines
Operating as a pawnbroker without first obtaining the § 6-1.66 license is a separate violation for each day of operation under § 6-1.05. A license tax not paid within 30 calendar days of its due date is delinquent and draws a 10% penalty under § 6-1.19, added to and collected with the tax itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is a pawnbroker license in Madera?
What counts as a pawnbroker under Madera's code?
Can I operate a pawnshop in Madera before getting licensed?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Madera
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