Rochester, MN Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- Per location, non-transferable (§5-13-4)
- Classifications
- Class A: 400+ transactions/year; Class B: fewer
- Bond
- $5,000.00 required before license issues
- Expiration
- Every license expires December 31
- Reporting
- LeadsOnLine required, daily reports to police
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor for licensee or pledger violations (§5-13-23)
Summary
No one may operate as a pawnbroker in Rochester, or hold themselves out as one, without a pawnbroker license from the city for that specific location, under Code § 5-13-4. Licenses are location-specific and non-transferable, and the police department regulates the industry partly to curb the resale of stolen property.
No person shall engage in the business of pawnbroker or otherwise portray themselves as a pawnbroker within the city without a pawnbroker license for that location. No pawnbroker license may be transferred to a different location or a different person. Issuance of a license under this chapter shall not relieve the licensee from obtaining any other licenses required to conduct business at the same or any other locations. A separate license is required for each place of business. More than one license may be issued to a person if all provisions of this chapter are satisfied.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 8 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
City Code § 5-13-4 bars anyone from engaging in the pawnbroker business, or portraying themselves as a pawnbroker, within the city without a location-specific license; a separate license is required for each place of business and no license may be transferred to a new location or a new person. The council adopted the chapter, per § 5-13-1, because pawn businesses can move stolen property quickly and because the industry outgrew the city's ability to track criminal activity, so the chapter also requires licensees to use the LeadsOnLine reporting system.
Licenses are classified under § 5-13-5 by transaction volume: Class A licensees submitted 400 or more billable transactions in the prior 12-month reporting period ending September 30, and Class B licensees submitted fewer; every new license issued after January 1, 2002 is automatically Class A. Under § 5-13-6, the annual fee is set by council resolution and the billable-transaction fee depends on whether reports are filed electronically (modem, required for Class A) or manually (required for Class B licensees who don't meet Class A reporting). Applicants pay a nonrefundable investigation fee under § 5-13-7, each license expires December 31 under § 5-13-8, and every applicant must post a $5,000.00 bond conditioned on complying with pawnbroker law under § 5-13-10.
Violations & Fines
The city council may deny, suspend or revoke a pawnbroker license under § 5-13-20 for zoning noncompliance, failure to comply with any provision of the chapter, fraud or misrepresentation in the application, or a conviction within the preceding five years for theft, property damage, trespass, or sale of a controlled substance. Separately, § 5-13-23 makes any violation of the chapter by a licensee or a pledger a misdemeanor, on top of the city's general misdemeanor penalty at § 1-1-11: a fine up to $1,000.00, up to 90 days in jail, or both.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Rochester pawnbroker operate at more than one location on one license?
How does Rochester classify pawnbroker licenses?
What bond does a Rochester pawnbroker have to post?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Rochester
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