Washington County, MD Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- Code of Public Local Laws Title 5, Subtitle 2
- Rate cap, loans <=$25
- 5% per 30 days
- Rate cap, loans >$25
- 3% per 30 days
- Inspecting official
- Hagerstown Chief of Police
- First-offense fine
- $100
- Repeat penalty
- $100 fine plus 30 days jail
Summary
Washington County, Maryland caps what a licensed pawnbroker can charge on a pledge loan: up to 5% for 30 days on loans of $25 or less, 3% on larger loans, with mandatory receipts and books open to the Hagerstown Chief of Police.
A regular licensed pawnbroker may charge for any loans upon goods, chattels, or other personal property to cover interest, storage, investigation of title, packing, and all other expenses incidental to the pawnbrokers' business, a sum of money not to exceed 5 percent of the amount loaned for 30 days, of any loan made not exceeding $25... For loans of more than $25, the sum may not exceed 3 percent of the amount loaned for 30 days and 2 percent of the amount loaned for each renewal of the loan for a period of 30 days, and other charges of any kind may not be made for or on account of the loans or their renewals.
Full Breakdown
Code of Public Local Laws (2019) Title 5, Subtitle 2 sets the entire fee structure for pawnbroking in Washington County, Maryland. Under Sec. 5 percent per 30-day renewal period. Sec. 5-201(a)(2) drops the rate for larger loans: for loans of more than $25, the charge may not exceed 3 percent of the amount loaned for the first 30 days and 2 percent for each 30-day renewal, and no other charges of any kind are allowed on the loan or its renewals. Sec. 5-201(b) requires the pawnbroker to give the borrower a ticket or receipt at the time of the loan stating the article pledged and the loan amount, printed with the statutory charge schedule.
Sec. 5-202 requires the pawnbroker to keep suitable books recording the borrower's name, a description of the collateral, the date, the amount loaned, and the amount charged; those books and all business affairs of the pawnbroker are subject at all times to inspection by the Chief of Police of the City of Hagerstown. Sec. 5-204 closes any loophole by barring any other charge for making or packing a loan beyond what the subtitle allows. These provisions trace to 1916, ch. L. 1930, Art. 22, and were last amended in 1995 (ch. 85).
Violations & Fines
Operating as a pawnbroker without first taking out a pawnbroker's license, while charging any sum above the legal rate, is a misdemeanor: Sec. 5-203 sets a $100 fine for a first offense and $100 plus 30 days in jail for each later offense. A licensed pawnbroker who violates the subtitle by any subterfuge or device faces the same $100 fine and 30-day jail term per Sec. 5-205, and the pledged property must be returned to its owner.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What is the penalty for operating as an unlicensed pawnbroker in Washington County, Maryland?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Washington County
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