Newport Beach, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)

010). 050 requires anyone conducting a pawnbroker business to first apply for and receive a permit from the Chief of Police. The application must disclose the applicant's physical description, home and business address, any prior pawnbroker or secondhand dealer permits held or refused anywhere, any past arrest history, and requires fingerprinting except on renewal by someone already fingerprinted for a prior application. The Chief of Police investigates and must complete a written report within 90 days. The Chief may refuse a permit if the applicant was convicted of receiving stolen property or a related offense, and may revoke an issued permit after notice and hearing for operating outside the designated location, failing to display the permit, a demonstrated pattern of code violations, or a stolen-property conviction.

330's hearing procedure. 060 requires an initial license fee capped at the City's actual processing cost, plus a separate fee the City collects and forwards to the Department of Justice, and a renewal fee each cycle. 080 requires pawnbrokers to keep a three-year English-language record of every item pledged or purchased, open to police inspection at all times during business hours. 100(A) bars selling or altering any reportable item for 30 days after it is received, unless the Chief of Police or DOJ authorizes earlier disposition for good cause. m. on other days.