Spalding County, GA Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)
Key Facts
- Pawn shop defined
- Business taking property as loan security (Sec. 6-6001)
- ID + photo + fingerprint
- Required at intake (Sec. 6-6003)
- Daily sheriff report cutoff
- 9:00 p.m. (Sec. 6-6004)
- Redemption lapse
- New ticket + 3-yr record (Sec. 6-6005)
- Willful violation penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine / 6 months jail (Sec. 6-6006)
Summary
Pawn shops in unincorporated Spalding County must record each customer's ID, photo and fingerprint, file a daily transaction report with the sheriff by 9:00 p.m., and re-ticket items once the redemption period lapses, with willful noncompliance punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and six months in jail.
Pawn shop means any business wherein a substantial aspect thereof involves the taking or receipt, by means of pledge, pawn, consignment, trade, or exchange, of any goods, wares, merchandise, or any kind of personal property whatsoever, as security for the repayment of money lent thereon. ... Every person engaged as a pawn shop operator with the county shall secure from every person from whom he receives any used or previously owned tangible personal property, whether by purchase or through pledge, trade, pawn or exchange, the following:(a)Government-issued photo identification card, such as a driver's license, military identification card, state identification card, or passport; ... Any person who willfully and intentionally fails to obtain the information and maintain the records, digital photographs, and fingerprints, or to file the daily reports required by this chapter shall, be guilty of an offense and punished by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000.00), incarceration not to exceed six (6) months, or both.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 6 defines a pawn shop as a business whose substantial activity is taking goods as security for a loan through pledge, pawn, consignment, trade or exchange (Sec. 6-6001), enacted to impede the sale of stolen property by making pledger information available to law enforcement (Sec. 6-6002). For every item received, the operator must record a government-issued photo ID, name, address, phone number, race, sex, height, weight, date of birth and Social Security or driver's license number, a dated frontal digital photo, a right-hand index fingerprint, and a written, photographed description of the item, and keep those records three years (Sec.
6-6003). Unlike the county's scrap-metal chapter, which uses a midnight cutoff, pawn shops must file their computer-generated daily report to the Sheriff of Spalding County for the 24-hour period ending at 9:00 p.m., electronically or, if technology fails, on paper delivered to the sheriff's department (Sec. 6-6004). Once an agreed redemption period lapses, the operator must note that in the daily report and draft a new ticket for the item, keeping that record three years as well (Sec. 6-6005). The chapter carries its own specific penalty rather than relying solely on the county's general fine schedule, and enforcement remedies are cumulative with any other civil or criminal remedy available under Georgia law or county ordinance (Sec. 6-6007).
Violations & Fines
Anyone who willfully and intentionally fails to obtain the required information or maintain the records, photographs and fingerprints, or to file the daily reports, is guilty of an offense punishable by a fine up to $1,000, incarceration up to six months, or both (Sec. 6-6006). Each day a violation continues is a separate offense under the chapter's general enforcement provision (Sec. 6-6007(b)).
Frequently Asked Questions
What information must a Spalding County pawn shop collect from a customer?
When must a pawn shop file its daily report to the sheriff?
What is the penalty for a pawn shop that skips required recordkeeping?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Spalding County
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