Old Bridge, NJ Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)

Chapter 242 of the Old Bridge Township Code defines a pawnbroker as any person, partnership, association, or corporation lending money on deposit or pledge of personal property, purchasing personal property on condition of selling it back at a stipulated price, or doing business as a furniture storage warehouseman lending money on pledged goods. Section 242-2 bars anyone from engaging in that business, or in buying and selling precious metals or other secondhand goods, without first obtaining a license from the Municipal Clerk bearing a Clerk-issued license number.

Every applicant is investigated by the Chief of Police, who checks the applicant's experience, community reputation, and any criminal, disorderly-persons, or municipal ordinance convictions, and can require a fingerprint-based FBI background check at the applicant's expense; that investigation must be completed within 30 days. Each dealer must also post a $10,000 surety bond with the Municipal Clerk, reviewed and approved by the Municipal Attorney, kept in force for at least a year and renewed annually alongside the license. Section 242-7 sets a nonrefundable $300 fee for the initial application and license, and a $250 annual renewal fee, separate from any charge tied to the mandatory electronic reporting database the Chief of Police designates.

A license is valid for one year from issuance and cannot be transferred to another dealer. Pawnbrokers must record every transaction, including photographs of the seller, the seller's ID, and each item purchased, and enter that record into the police department's electronic database by the close of business the same day.