Plantation, FL Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)
Key Facts
- Standard holding period
- 5 days before resale
- Altered-serial-number holding period
- 20 days
- Police copy deadline
- Within 24 hours of transaction
- Record retention
- 1 year minimum
- Minor pledges
- Barred without parent co-signature
- Precious metals
- Excluded, governed by F.S. § 538
Summary
Plantation pawnbrokers must hold pawned or purchased items at least five days before resale under Code of Ordinances Sec. 14-96, keep detailed transaction records with the seller's thumbprint and ID under Sec. 14-93, and may not take a pledge from anyone under 18 without a parent's signature under Sec. 14-98.
Pawnbroker means any person, either natural or otherwise, who as a significant part of the conduct of a business loans or lends money or some other thing of value on the delivery or deposit of personal property taken by way of pawn, pledge, or exchange as security for the repayment of money lent thereon...Each pawnbroker and secondhand dealer shall retain possession of all inventory for at least a period of five (5) days following the receipt of possession, except that any inventory on which a serial or identification number is altered, defaced, or rendered wholly or partially unreadable shall be held for a period of at least twenty (20) days...No pawnbroker shall purchase or possess for security, take as a pledge or pawn, any item from a person under the age of eighteen (18) years unless such person is accompanied by his parent or legal guardian and unless both the person and the parent or guardian sign the pawnbroker's records required pursuant to this division.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 30 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Division 3 of Chapter 14 defines a pawnbroker as anyone who, as a significant part of their business, loans money against personal property taken as pawn, pledge, or exchange, excluding banks regulated separately under Sec. 14-91. Precious-metals transactions are carved out entirely under Sec. 019, already governs them. Every pawnbroker must record, for each item, the customer's full name, address, phone numbers, employer, age, race, sex, signature, driver's license or photo ID number, thumbprint, item description with serial numbers, purchase date, and price paid, per Sec.
14-93. Duplicate copies of those records must reach the Plantation Police Department within 24 hours of the transaction under Sec. 14-94, and must be retained for one year under Sec. 14-95. Sec. 14-96 requires items to be held at least five days before resale or transfer of possession, extended to 20 days if a serial or ID number has been altered, defaced, or made unreadable; the pawnbroker may sell ownership sooner but must keep physical possession for the full holding period. Sec. 14-97 gives police the right to inspect the premises and required records during regular business hours to confirm compliance, and Sec. 14-98 bars pawning items from anyone under 18 unless a parent or guardian is present and co-signs the transaction record.
Violations & Fines
Failing to maintain the required transaction records, missing the 24-hour police-copy deadline, releasing inventory before the five- or 20-day holding period expires, or pawning from an unaccompanied minor are violations of Division 3 subject to the city's general code enforcement process under Chapter 6, which can include citations and fines through the Code Enforcement Board.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long must a Plantation pawnshop hold an item before reselling it?
What records does a Plantation pawnbroker have to keep on each customer?
Can a Plantation pawnshop take an item from a teenager?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Plantation
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