Palmdale, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)
Key Facts
- Closing hours
- No pawn transactions 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- State license
- Current State pawnbroker license required
- Background check
- Fingerprints and photo ID mandatory
- Security plan
- Required: alarms, cameras, safes, staffing
- Minor transactions
- No reportable transactions with anyone under 18
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor, up to $1,000 fine, 6 months jail
Summary
Palmdale pawnbrokers must hold a business permit disclosing fingerprints, a security plan, and a State pawnbroker license, and cannot accept a pledge, loan money on personal property, or transact any pawnbroking business between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., per PMC § 5.04.450.
"Pawnbroker" means any person engaged in the business of receiving goods, including motor vehicles, in pledge as security for a loan... Hours of Operation. No pawnbroker or secondhand dealer, nor any employee thereof, shall accept any pledge, or loan any money for personal property, or purchase or receive any goods, wares or merchandise, or any article or thing, or in any manner whatsoever engage in or conduct business as a pawnbroker or secondhand dealer between the hours of 7:00 p.m. of any day and 7:00 a.m. of the following day.
Full Breakdown
PMC § 5.04.450 defines a pawnbroker as 'any person engaged in the business of receiving goods, including motor vehicles, in pledge as security for a loan.' In addition to the standard business permit information required by § 5.04.140, every pawnbroker applicant must supply their age, height, weight, and physical description, current and prior addresses for the preceding 12 months, whether they have run a similar business elsewhere, fingerprints and photo identification, a copy of their current State-issued pawnbroker license, and a security plan covering safes, alarm systems, security personnel, funds-transportation measures, and CCTV (§ 5.04.450(B)).
Operationally, no pawnbroker or employee may accept a pledge, loan money against personal property, or otherwise conduct pawnbroking business between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. the following day (§ 5.04.450(C)(1)). Pawnbrokers must comply with the reporting requirements of Business and Professions Code § 21628 et seq. or Financial Code § 21208 et seq., and any pledge involving builders' tools must additionally comply with Business and Professions Code § 21550 et seq.; property held must follow State law on inspection and disposal, and no transaction requiring § 21628 reporting may be conducted with anyone under 18 (§ 5.04.450(C)(2)-(5)).
Violations & Fines
Pawnbroker permits fall under the general Chapter 5.04 enforcement scheme: operating without the required business permit, or violating a permit condition, is a misdemeanor under PMC § 5.04.340, punishable per Chapter 1.12 by up to a $1,000 fine, up to six months in County Jail, or both, with each day of continued violation a separate offense, and the City may pursue nuisance abatement or civil injunction in addition to criminal enforcement.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hours can a pawnbroker operate in Palmdale?
Do Palmdale pawnbrokers need fingerprints on file?
Can a pawnbroker in Palmdale take a pledge from a minor?
What happens if a pawnbroker operates without a Palmdale permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Palmdale
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