Paulding County, GA Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)

UDO Section 230-40.01 states that "uses controlled in this Section are prohibited unless an approval for a Special Use Permit has been granted by the Board of Commissioners after a recommendation by the Planning Commission based on requirements of this Section and all other applicable provisions of this UDO." Section 230-40.04's alphabetical list of uses requiring that permit includes "Pawnshops," and Section 210-190.04 confirms Pawnshops are a Special Use Permit use specifically within the B-2 Highway Business District. Before granting the permit, Section 230-40.03 requires the Board to weigh at least 14 factors, including whether the use will cause a nuisance under O.C.G.A. § 41-1-2, whether adequate parking and traffic controls exist, whether hours of operation are addressed, and whether public health, safety or welfare concerns are adversely affected.

The UDO's own definition of "Pawnbrokers" ties the use to state law, describing anyone "engaged in whole or in part in the business of lending money on the security of pledged goods, or in the business of purchasing tangible personal property on the condition that it may be redeemed or repurchased by the seller for a fixed price within a fixed period of time" as described in O.C.G.A. § 44-12-130. The parking table in Chapter 260 separately requires one parking space per 200 square feet of net floor space for a pawnshop.