Sacramento, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)

Sacramento City Code § 5.80.010 requires any pawnbroker to obtain a permit before conducting business in the city, and § 5.80.040 makes operating without that permit unlawful and a declared public nuisance. Applications go to the chief of police under § 5.80.050, on forms the chief prescribes, accompanied by a nonrefundable fee set by council resolution under § 5.80.060. Once licensed, § 5.80.190 restricts pawnbroker hours directly: no loans may be transacted on Sunday, and on any other day no loan may be made between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., though retail sales aren't limited by this rule. § 5.80.200 imposes a 10-day holding period, no secondhand property a pawnbroker has purchased may be resold for ten days from the date it was received, giving owners and police a window to identify stolen property. § 5.80.210 bars any pawnbroker or employee from receiving or purchasing property from, or making a loan to, anyone under 18.

Recordkeeping is heavy: § 5.80.220 requires a numbered transaction form for every pledge, purchase, or consignment, retained for three years, and § 5.80.240 requires those forms be delivered to the chief of police every business day before noon. § 5.80.180 additionally confines the pawnbroker to transacting business only at the address named on the license.