Montebello, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)

Section 5.04.220 of the Montebello Municipal Code enumerates pawnbroker among the businesses, alongside junk dealers, salvage dealers, and private patrols, that cannot operate in the city without first obtaining a permit under the procedures in Chapter 5.04. Section 5.04.230 requires the pawnbroker applicant, or each officer, partner, or principal if the business is not a sole proprietorship, to submit a verified application with their name and address, the nature and location of the enterprise, a description of the equipment to be used, a personal description, a suitable photograph, and fingerprints and thumbprints.

Section 5.04.240 sends that application to city department heads, in practice the police department, for an investigation into whether the applicant is of good moral character and whether the pawnbroking business would be detrimental to public peace, health, safety, morals, or welfare; only after that finding does the license collector issue the permit, subject to any terms and conditions needed to protect the public. Section 5.04.250 allows an applicant denied a permit to appeal to the city clerk within ten days for city council review, which is final.

Section 5.04.260 requires the permit be posted on the premises where the pawnbroking business is conducted. Section 5.04.290 sets the filing and processing fee at fifteen dollars for an original application and ten dollars for a renewal, filed in the same form as the original.