Portland, OR Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit issuer
- Revenue Division
- Background check by
- Portland Police Bureau
- Civil penalty
- up to $500 per violation
- Criminal penalty (repeat)
- $500 fine, up to 6 months jail
- Standard hold period
- 30 days (buys, not pawns)
Summary
Portland treats pawnbrokers as secondhand dealers under Chapter 14B.90, requiring a City permit from the Revenue Division plus Oregon's separate pawnbroker license.
Pawnbroker means any business required by ORS 726.040 to hold an Oregon Pawnbroker's license. Pawnbrokers are required by Chapter 14B.90 to have a secondhand dealer permit. As a dealer, all transactions occurring within their business (loans, buys, or consignments) are subject to all requirements within this Chapter unless otherwise stated.
M. Person means a natural person.
N. Principal means any person who will be directly engaged or employed in the management or operation of the secondhand dealer business, including any owners and any shareholders with a five percent or greater interest in the company.
O. Receive means to take property into the inventory, possession, or control of a dealer.
P. Reporting system means the computer system or database dealers are required to use to report acquisitions of regulated property to the Police Bureau.
Q. Registered business means an entity that is:
1. Registered with the Oregon Secretary of State Corporation Division or its equivalent in the state where the business is located; and
2. Compliant with the City Tax Division business registration requirements.
Full Breakdown
A pawnbroker is any business required by ORS 726.040 to hold an Oregon Pawnbroker's license, and Chapter 14B.90 additionally requires pawnbrokers to hold a City secondhand dealer permit. No person or business may operate without one, issued by the Revenue Division after a Police Bureau background investigation of all owners, principals, and employees. Pawnbroker loans are exempt from the standard 30-day hold, but buys and consignments are not.
Violations & Fines
Operating without a permit or violating reporting/hold rules is a civil offense with penalties up to $500 per violation; repeat violators after $2,000 in penalties, or after permit revocation, face criminal prosecution with a fine up to $500 and up to six months in jail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Portland pawnbrokers need a separate city permit?
Does the 30-day hold apply to pawn loans?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Portland
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