San Bernardino, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)
Key Facts
- Daily report deadline
- Before 12:00 p.m. each day
- Report covers
- Prior 24 consecutive hours
- Item retention period
- 30 calendar days
- Pledger ID required
- Signature, address, fingerprint
- Enforcing office
- Chief of Police / Police Dept.
- Default penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine or 6 months jail
Summary
Pawnbrokers in San Bernardino must file a daily property report with the Chief of Police by noon, take pledgers' signature, address and fingerprint, and hold every item 30 days before resale. The rules sit in Municipal Code Chapter 5.56, alongside junk dealers and secondhand dealers.
Every junk dealer, secondhand dealer, pawnbroker, loan broker and every proprietor, keeper or owner of any office or other place of business where money is loaned on personal property for a compensation shall daily make out and deliver to the Chief of Police every day before the hour of 12:00 p.m., on a blank form to be furnished him or her by the Chief of Police for that purpose, a full, true and complete report of all the property and other valuable goods, wares, merchandise or things received on deposit or purchased during the preceding 24 consecutive hours, together with the time, meaning the hour of the day, when received on deposit, in pawn or purchase, and a description of the person or persons by whom left in pledge, or deposited or from whom purchased, and also the true name, as nearly as the same is known to the pawnbroker, junk dealer, secondhand dealer, loan broker or other person heretofore designated.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-2: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ord. MC-1666, passed 8-5-2026).
Full Breakdown
covering all property received on deposit or purchased in the preceding 24 hours. The report must state the time of the transaction, a description of the person pledging or selling the item, and that person's true name as nearly as the pawnbroker can determine it. 010(B). 050 makes it unlawful to sign a fictitious name or address in connection with a pawn transaction. 030, and are open to inspection only by Police Department members, persons authorized by the Chief, or those presenting a court order.
350 sets the pawnbroker business registration fee by Mayor and Council resolution and excludes state-licensed banks loaning money on personal property from the pawnbroker definition. California Financial Code §§ 21000-21209 govern pawnbroker licensing at the state level and are referenced in the code as a statutory cross-reference, but the daily reporting, retention and fingerprint mandates are San Bernardino's own local requirements.
Violations & Fines
Failing to file the daily report, retain items for the full 30-day hold, or obtain the required signature, address and fingerprint on a pledge is a code violation. Under the citywide general penalty at § 1.12.010, an ordinance violation without a specific stated penalty is a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in county jail, a fine up to $1,000, or both, and each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense under § 1.12.020. Signing a fictitious name on a pawn report under § 5.56.050 is independently unlawful.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often must a San Bernardino pawnbroker report to police?
How long must a pawnshop hold an item before reselling it?
What identification must a pawnbroker collect from a customer?
Can pawn transaction records be seen by the public?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Bernardino
California rules heatmap·Compare San Bernardino to another location·View the California business licensing & operations overview
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Pawnbrokers in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Bernardino County handle pawnbrokers.