Olympia, WA Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)

Pawnbrokers in the City of Olympia, Thurston County, Washington, fall under Chapter 5.60 of the Olympia Municipal Code, the same chapter that covers secondhand dealers. Section 5.60.010 defines a pawnbroker as any person engaged in the business of receiving property in pledge for loans. Section 5.60.015 makes it unlawful to engage in business in the City without a license under OMC 5.02, and the chapter's own requirements apply in addition.

Pawn tickets come first. Under 5.60.090, every pawnbroker issues numbered pawn tickets for all goods or property received as pledges for loans, and those tickets are considered receipts. Tags are attached to all pledged goods, and each tag carries, in legible figures, a number that matches the number on the pawn ticket issued for that article.

The ledger follows. Section 5.60.070 requires every pawnbroker to keep, at the place of business, a book or other permanent record in English written at the time of each loan, listing the date, the person conducting the transaction, the borrower's name, signature, sex, age, address and appearance, the owner of the property, a description of the property, the amount loaned, witnesses and the pawn ticket number. Section 5.60.100 requires the transcript of the previous day's transactions to reach the chief of police before noon each day, and no entry in the record can be erased or obliterated.

Redemption and holds are set by 5.60.110. A pawnbroker cannot sell property held for redemption within ninety days after the period of redemption has expired. Apart from a redemption by the owner, pledged property cannot leave the shop within seven working days after its receipt is reported to the chief of police unless the Police Department has inspected and approved it for release, and for good cause during an investigation the Department can require a hold beyond seven days but not past thirty days.

Section 5.60.120 bars a pawnbroker from taking property from anyone under eighteen years of age, anyone under the influence of intoxicating liquor, or anyone convicted of larceny, burglary or receiving stolen goods if the Police Department has already advised the pawnbroker of the conviction.