Memphis, TN Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)
Key Facts
- State license
- T.C.A. § 45-6-102, per § 6-60-2
- Hours
- 8 a.m.–6/7 p.m.; closed Sundays (§ 6-60-5)
- Interest cap
- $6.00 per $100.00 per year (§ 6-60-13)
- Daily records
- Delivered to police by 10 a.m. (§ 6-60-10)
- Redemption period
- 50 days past maturity (§ 6-60-14)
- Resale hold
- 48 hours after police delivery (§ 6-60-12)
Summary
Memphis requires every pawnbroker to hold the state license under T.C.A. § 45-6-102 before opening, per City Code § 6-60-2, then layers on local rules: fixed business hours, a Sunday closure, a numbered transaction ledger delivered daily to police, and an interest cap of $6.00 per $100.00 per year.
Sec. 6-60-2. - License required by state law. It is unlawful for any person to engage in the business of a pawnbroker within the city, unless he or she first obtains the license required by T.C.A. § 45-6-102. ...
Sec. 6-60-5. - Business hours; Sunday business prohibited. No pawnbroker shall keep open his or her place of business before 8:00 a.m. or after 6:00 p.m. of any day during the months of June, July, August and September, and not after 7:00 p.m. of any day during the other months of the year; provided, that on Saturday of each week the last 15 days of December of each year, it shall be lawful for pawnbrokers to keep open until 9:00 p.m. Pawnbrokers shall keep their places of business closed all day Sunday through the entire year.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 32 | Charter: Supplement 4).
Full Breakdown
§ 45-6-102, per City Code § 6-60-2; operating without it is unlawful in the city regardless of any local permit. on Saturdays during the last 15 days of December, with the shop closed all day every Sunday year-round. Section 6-60-6 requires a sign reading only the owner's name and "Licensed Pawnbroker" over the entrance, with no other markings on the building front. Section 6-60-3 bars running any other business in the same building, and Section 6-60-4 bars a pawnbroker from ever purchasing property outright rather than taking it in pledge.
Section 6-60-7 forbids taking pledges from a minor, an apparently intoxicated person, or a known thief without first notifying police, and Section 6-60-8 bans taking gambling devices or certain weapons, bowie knives, sword canes, slingshots, brass knuckles, as security, and makes mere possession of those items by a pawnbroker unlawful. daily. 00 loaned per year plus a service fee of no more than one percent per month. Section 6-60-14 gives a pledgor 50 days past maturity to redeem before the pawnbroker can mail a forfeiture notice and publish notice in a local newspaper, with a further ten days to redeem before title passes to the pawnbroker.
Violations & Fines
Operating without the state-mandated license, keeping open outside permitted hours or on Sunday, taking prohibited pledges, or failing to deliver the daily transaction record to police all violate Chapter 6-60 and are prosecuted under the citywide general penalty, Section 1-24-1: a fine of up to $50.00 set at the city judge's discretion, plus an automatic penalty of up to $200.00 per code section, with each day of a continuing violation charged as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Memphis
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