Muncie, IN Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- "Pawnbroker License" from city controller
- Annual fee
- $50.00 (§115.08)
- License date
- always January 1
- Daily police reporting
- required (§115.10)
- Record retention
- 1 year electronically
- Item hold for ID
- up to 5 days
- Penalty
- fine up to $2,500 (§10.99)
Summary
Anyone conducting a pawnbroker business in the City of Muncie must first obtain a $50.00 annual "Pawnbroker License" from the city controller under Muncie City Code § 115.08. The license dates from January 1 each year regardless of when it's purchased, and pawnbrokers must also keep detailed transaction records and report daily to the Muncie Police Department.
No person shall conduct, maintain or engage in the business of a pawnbroker or of keeping a secondhand store unless such person shall have first procured a license from the city controller. Every person conducting, maintaining, or engaging in the business of a pawnbroker or of keeping a secondhand store shall pay an annual license fee of $50.00. Such license shall be designated as "Secondhand Store License" or "Pawnbroker License." Such license shall bear the date of January 1 and no reduction shall be made for any part of the time already elapsed at the time of making application for such license.
Full Breakdown
State law authorizes Indiana cities to regulate pawnbrokers under IC 28-7-5-1, and Muncie exercises that authority through Chapter 115 of its Code. Beyond the $50.00 annual license fee fixed by § 115.08, a pawnbroker must keep a written record of every pledge or purchase describing the goods and the person pledging or selling them, open at all times to inspection by the chief of police or any officer, under § 115.09. Section 115.10 goes further for daily operations: the pawnbroker must transmit purchase data to the Muncie Police Department's records management system every 24 hours, including the date and time of each purchase, a description of the item with serial numbers, the price paid, and government-issued photo identification of the seller, and must retain that electronic record for one year.
No item may be disposed of within 24 hours of filing that report without the police chief's written permission. The chief of police may also hold any item suspected of being unlawfully pledged or sold for up to five days so the true owner can identify it, under § 115.11. The city controller can suspend a pawnbroker's license for up to ten days for violating Chapter 115, after 15 days' written notice, and the board of works and safety can revoke the license entirely after a hearing under § 115.13.
Violations & Fines
Operating as a pawnbroker in the City of Muncie without the § 115.08 license, or failing to keep the transaction records required by §§ 115.09 and 115.10, is enforced under the city's general penalty, § 10.99: a fine of not more than $2,500.00 for each offense. The city controller can also suspend a pawnbroker's license for up to ten days, and the board of works and safety can revoke it after a hearing under § 115.13.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Muncie
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