Southaven, MS Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)
Key Facts
- Report deadline
- Within forty-eight (48) hours of receiving a sold or pawned article
- Reports go to
- The chief of police, on city-furnished forms
- Pledgor information
- Name, description, address, date of birth and ID number
- Maximum fine
- $1,000.00 per offense
- Jail
- Up to ninety (90) days under § 8-1
- License consequence
- Broker's license may be revoked on conviction
Summary
In the City of Southaven, Mississippi, every junk dealer, pawnbroker and secondhand dealer must give the chief of police written reports on each sold or pawned article within forty-eight (48) hours. A conviction carries a fine up to $1,000.00, up to ninety (90) days in jail, and possible revocation of the broker's license.
Sec. 8-1. - Required reports by junk dealers, pawnbrokers and secondhand dealers. ... (b)Every junk dealer, pawnbroker and secondhand dealer in the city is hereby required to make written reports to the chief of police upon forms furnished and paid for by the city. Such reports shall be made available within forty-eight (48) hours of receiving a sold or pawned article, and shall show the name, description, address, date of birth (D.O.B.) and identification number (ID#) of each person selling or pawning any article, and shall give a complete description, serial number and identifying marks of the sold or pawned article.(c)Every person, firm, or corporation, their agents or employees, who shall violate any of the provisions of this section, shall upon conviction thereof be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and may be fined a sum of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) for each offense, and, at the discretion of the court, may be imprisoned for a period of time not to exceed ninety (90) days. Upon any such conviction, the license of such broker may be revoked.
Full Breakdown
Section 8-1 of the Southaven Code (Ord. No. 64, 6-5-90) is the city's pawnbroker rule. Every junk dealer, pawnbroker and secondhand dealer in the City of Southaven must make written reports to the chief of police on forms furnished and paid for by the city. The reports must be available within forty-eight (48) hours of receiving a sold or pawned article. Each report shows the name, description, address, date of birth and identification number of the person selling or pawning the article, plus a complete description, serial number and identifying marks of the article. A secondhand dealer is anyone who to any degree buys and sells secondhand articles; a private citizen with a garage and yard sale, a nonprofit organization and an antique dealer are excluded.
Chapter 4 of Title VIII adds record-keeping for dealers in precious metals. Section 8-101 requires every broker to complete a three (3) inch by five (5) inch card for each article pledged, with the pledgor writing his name and address and reproducing his right thumbprint on the back. Section 8-96 shows that the state, not the city, licenses pawnshops: its definition of dealer excludes a pawnbroker licensed under the Mississippi Pawnshop Act. Section 8-103 bars taking an article from anyone who appears intoxicated or is known to be a thief without first notifying the police department, and bars taking articles from the same person more than three (3) days within the same week without notice.
Every business in the city also needs a privilege license from the tax collector before it opens (§ 8-117), and the Southaven Police Department collects the reports and the cards.
Violations & Fines
Under § 8-1(c), a violation is a misdemeanor with a fine of not more than $1,000.00 for each offense and, at the court's discretion, imprisonment not exceeding ninety (90) days, and on conviction the broker's license may be revoked. Violations of Chapter 4, including the § 8-101 cards, carry up to $1,000.00 or six (6) months in the county jail under § 8-105.
Frequently Asked Questions
How fast must a Southaven pawnbroker report a pawned item?
What details about the item must the report include?
Who counts as a secondhand dealer under Southaven's code?
Can Southaven revoke a pawnbroker's license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Southaven
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