Maricopa, AZ Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)
Key Facts
- License fee
- $50 annual, per location
- Resale hold
- 20 calendar days minimum
- Background check
- Fingerprinting required
- Location type
- Fixed storefront only
- Enforcing agency
- Maricopa Police Department
Summary
Maricopa requires pawnbrokers to hold a regulated business license, file every transaction with police, and hold items 20 days before resale or exchange.
Pawnbrokers shall file reports with and in a manner approved by the police department consistent with all of the requirements contained in A.R.S. § 44-1625... No article shall be sold or exchanged by any pawnbroker until it shall have been in the custody thereof for 20 calendar days after making out and delivering to the police department the report required under subsection (A) of this section... This subsection shall not apply to redemption of pawned or pledged articles.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 26-10, passed April 21, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Pawnbrokers are a "regulated business" under MCC Title 5, requiring a $50 annual license from the licensing office before opening (fixed-location only, no mobile pawn operations). Owners, agents, and employees are fingerprinted for a state/federal background check. Under MCC 5.15.070, pawnbrokers must file transaction reports with the police department consistent with A.R.S. § 44-1625, and no pawned or exchanged article may be sold or altered until it has sat in the shop's custody for 20 calendar days after that report is filed, redemptions by the original pledgor are exempt.
Violations & Fines
Operating a pawn shop without the license is unlawful under MCC 5.15.040. Selling or altering an item before the 20-day hold expires, or failing to file the required police report, violates MCC 5.15.070; police can also place a written "hold" on suspected stolen property for up to 90 days, renewable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Maricopa pawnbroker resell an item right away?
Does Maricopa require background checks for pawnshop staff?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Maricopa
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