Butte County, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)

The application goes to the license collector on a prescribed form with a five-dollar filing fee that is not refundable, and it is referred immediately to the Sheriff and to the county's planning department (Sec. 11-13). The Sheriff photographs and fingerprints the applicant, investigates their character, and must report findings and a recommendation within fifteen days (Sec. 11-14); the Sheriff also issues a laminated identification card the licensee must carry (Sec. 1). The license collector cannot issue the license until the Sheriff approves and the planning department confirms the location is properly zoned and, if needed, holds a valid use permit (Sec.

11-16). Once verified, the applicant must post a corporate surety bond or cash deposit, in an amount the Board of Supervisors sets by resolution, to guarantee that all pawned and secondhand goods are removed if the business closes; the bond is held by the county clerk. A license runs no more than one year, must be displayed conspicuously on the premises (Secs. 11-17, 11-18), and can be renewed without a new application if the fee is paid before expiration (Sec. 11-20); it cannot be transferred to another person (Sec.

11-21). Every pawnbroker must keep a bound record book supplied by the Sheriff logging each transaction in English at the time it occurs, and file a daily written report to the Sheriff describing property received, price paid, and where it will be stored for the next ten days (Secs. 11-6 through 11-8). Goods must stay exposed to public view for ten days after that report before resale (Sec. 11-3). Pawnbrokers may not deal with anyone who appears intoxicated or with unaccompanied minors under twenty-one without written parental consent (Sec.

11-2). or on any Sunday is barred (Sec. 11-5). The Board of Supervisors may suspend or revoke the license at any time it finds a violation of the chapter (Sec. 11-19).