Sandy Springs, GA Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum hold before resale
- 15 days
- Employee work permit required
- yes, all pawnshop staff
- Reporting to police
- daily electronic report by midnight
- Good moral character lookback
- 10 years, no felony/theft/fraud
- Fingerprint required per transaction
- yes, right index finger
- General Code penalty
- up to $1,000 fine / 6 months
Summary
Pawnbrokers in Sandy Springs need both an occupation tax certificate and a separate pawnshop permit from the city, and every employee must individually hold a police-issued work permit. City Code chapter 26, article V, layers on fingerprinting, a mandatory 15-day hold on pledged goods, and daily electronic reporting to the police chief.
It shall be unlawful for any person to engage, conduct or carry on within the city any pawnshop without a currently valid occupation tax certificate as required by chapter 54, article V, pertaining to business and occupation taxes, and a currently valid pawnshop permit as required by this article. ... All persons employed or working in a pawnshop as defined in section 26-186 shall first obtain a permit from the city allowing the person to be employed or work in a pawnshop. ... All property purchased or acquired shall be held for not less than 15 days.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 24 | Development Code: Supplement 2 | Technical Manuals: Supplement 4).
Full Breakdown
Section 26-190 makes it unlawful to run a pawnshop without both a current occupation tax certificate under chapter 54 and a pawnshop permit under article V; the certificate and permit numbers must be posted on the storefront window in letters at least three inches tall. Section 26-189 requires every employee to first pass a background check and hold an individual work permit; applicants must be at least 18, have no felony or theft/drug/fraud conviction in the preceding ten years, and disclose any ownership interest in another pawnshop.
Recordkeeping duties in § 26-191 require a serially numbered log of every item acquired, a matching tag on the property itself, and an electronic report to the chief of police covering everything purchased or acquired in the prior 24 hours, filed by midnight. All pledged property must be held at least 15 days before resale, and it is unlawful to buy anything from a person under 18 unless the pawnbroker keeps a copy of accepted identification. Section 26-192 layers on state law: a fingerprint of the seller's right index finger, a photograph, and identification copies must be taken for every transaction, and the broker must physically compare the ID photo to the person before completing a deal.
Section 26-194 separately bars pawnbrokers from taking building glass, copper wiring, lead pipe or other salvaged plumbing and building materials in pawn from anyone other than a person of known good character.
Violations & Fines
Violations are punished under the general Code penalty in § 1-10 (up to a $1,000 fine, six months in jail, or 30 days confinement at labor), and § 26-196 separately declares a noncompliant pawnshop a public nuisance the city can sue to abate or enjoin. A violation of article V is also, per se, grounds to suspend or revoke the pawnshop's occupation tax certificate outright, shutting the business down administratively without a separate court case.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Sandy Springs pawnshop need more than a business license?
How long must a Sandy Springs pawnbroker hold an item before reselling it?
Can pawnshop employees work before getting a city permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sandy Springs
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