Simi Valley, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)

Chapter 13 of the Municipal Code defines a "pawnbroker" as any person who conducts the business of loaning money on personal property, pawns, or pledges, or who buys and resells articles at a price agreed upon at the time of purchase. Section 5-13.02 makes it unlawful to engage in that business, as principal or agent, without first obtaining a license. The written application goes to the Chief of Police and must disclose the applicant's residence address, the business address, the name under which the business will operate, and the names and addresses of everyone with an ownership interest, per Section 5-13.03.

The Chief of Police approves the license once satisfied the application meets the chapter's requirements (Section 5-13.04); a revoked license bars reapplication for three months (Section 5-13.05), and the fee is set by City Council resolution (Section 5-13.06). Once operating, a pawnbroker must deliver a full report of every item purchased or received the prior day to the Chief of Police by 2:00 p.m., using a City-supplied form (Section 5-13.07); the Chief of Police retains those reports for three years and may open them to any peace officer or by court order (Section 5-13.08).

Section 5-13.12 separately requires a complete internal transaction record containing the same information as the daily reports, and both the records and the merchandise on hand must be available for police inspection during business hours (Section 5-13.13). Section 5-13.14 bars conducting any pawnbroker business between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.