Orem, UT Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)

Orem City Code section 12-5-5 makes a bond a precondition of licensure: before the City issues a business license to a pawnbroker or dealer, as defined in Section 12-1-2, the applicant must deliver a corporate surety bond in an amount the City Council sets by resolution, conditioned on faithful performance of every requirement in the section. The obligation extends to all employees and agents of the pawnbroker or dealer, so a shop cannot avoid the rule by having staff, rather than the owner, handle transactions.

Once licensed, the shop must keep a permanent, ink-written record in English of each loan, purchase, or receipt of property, showing the transaction date, the seller's name and address, a description of the item including serial number and manufacturer where available, the amount advanced, and the pledge period; no entry may be erased or defaced. Every transaction requires a serially numbered ticket or an approved computer-generated form, with a copy delivered to the Police Department at least once a week. Before taking any pledge or purchase, the pawnbroker must secure adequate identification, such as a Utah driver's license, state ID card, out-of-state photo license, military ID, or passport, and for any item bought for more than $20 must also take a thumbprint imprint on the ticket.

m. Used vehicles, boats, trailers, used clothing, like-kind trade-ins, major appliances, and consigned goods are exempt from the recordkeeping, ticketing, and identification rules that otherwise govern these transactions.