Mount Vernon, NY Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)

Chapter 189 of the City Code, adopted in 1957, requires anyone carrying on the business of pawnbroker in Mount Vernon to first obtain a license from the Mayor, countersigned by the City Clerk, under § 189-2. Section 189-3 puts that discretion in the Mayor's hands, sets the license fee at $350 a year payable to the City Clerk, requires a $15,000 surety bond conditioned on faithful performance, and fixes every license to expire on January 1. Operating without that license, or outside the address named on it, draws a penalty of $500 for each day the business runs unlicensed.

1, added in 1989, requires fingerprints of both hands taken by a senior police officer under the Commissioner of Public Safety, run through the state Division of Criminal Justice Services, and bars a license to anyone convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor involving violence, dishonesty, or deceit. Section 189-5 requires a pawnbroker to log every loan (goods description, amount, date, interest rate, and the pledgor's name and address) and to file an identification card with the Police Department within 24 hours. 25 a month, and the Truth in Lending Act notice must be posted on the premises.

1 bars any transaction with anyone under 18. Unredeemed pledges cannot be sold until they have sat six months, per § 189-10, and then only at a published public auction under § 189-11.