Pawtucket, RI Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)
Key Facts
- Licensing authority
- City Council vote required, not Clerk
- Annual fee
- $200, May 1 to April 30
- State law tie-in
- R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 19-26-1 to 19-26-19
- Violation reporting
- Chief of Police reports to Council
- Revocation
- City Council can revoke for any violation
- History
- licensing article approved 1969 (Ch. No. 1235)
Summary
Pawnbrokers in Pawtucket can't get licensed through the City Clerk's ordinary discretion; § 260-2G carves them out for a full City Council vote, and § 260-3 sets the annual fee at $200, running May 1 through April 30. Section 260-1 also subjects pawnbrokers to Rhode Island's pawnbroker statute, R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 19-26-1 through 19-26-19.
The City Clerk is authorized, at his or her discretion, to issue, without specific action by the City Council, licenses authorized by above-mentioned titles, chapters and sections of the General Laws of Rhode Island, 1956, and amendments, except the following licenses: ... G. Pawnbrokers. ... License fees shall be as follows: ... Pawnbrokers, annually from May 1 to April 30 $200. ... All licensees and licensed places hereinafter enumerated shall pay the fees hereby fixed and be subject to and governed by the state statutes contained in the General Laws of Rhode Island, 1956 and amendments thereto, under the following Titles, chapters and sections: ... 19-26-1 through 19-26-19; ...
Full Breakdown
Chapter 260's Article I licensing scheme, approved in 1969 by Chapter No. 1235, splits city licenses into two tracks. Section 260-2 lets the City Clerk issue most licenses on his or her own discretion, but pawnbrokers are one of twelve carve-outs listed in Subsection G, alongside private detectives, carnivals, bowling alleys and employment agencies, meaning a pawnbroker license requires action by the full City Council rather than a routine clerk sign-off. I. Gen. Laws §§ 19-26-1 through 19-26-19, the state's pawnbroker chapter, among the incorporated titles.
Section 260-3's fee schedule sets the pawnbroker license at $200 a year, running from May 1 to April 30, the same fee tier as a private detective license and higher than a laundry or bowling alley license. Once granted, a pawnbroker license is subject to the same general obligations as every other Chapter 260 license: § 260-10 requires the business to operate only during lawful hours and only as the license permits, § 260-12 opens the premises to inspection by the Mayor, City Council members, the Director of Public Safety, the Chief of Police, the fire prevention chief, and state health inspectors, and § 260-11 requires the Chief of Police to report any violation to the City Council, which may revoke the license.
Violations & Fines
Section 260-11 puts enforcement in the Chief of Police's hands: any violation of a law, ordinance, rule or regulation by a pawnbroker licensee must be reported to the City Council, which can revoke the license outright. Section 260-12 backs that up by opening the shop to inspection at any time by the Mayor, City Council, police and fire officials, and state health inspectors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the City Clerk issue a pawnbroker license in Pawtucket?
How much does a Pawtucket pawnbroker license cost?
Does Pawtucket's ordinance cover pawnbroker recordkeeping and interest rates?
What happens if a Pawtucket pawnbroker violates the ordinance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pawtucket
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