Surprise, AZ Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)

Sec. 00 received on deposit, pawn, pledge, trade or exchange, or by purchase must be reported electronically to the city's leads online system within 24 hours, with a copy kept on the premises for six months. Every report must include a description of the item, the amount paid or allowed, the transaction date and time, a signed 10-point bold statement from the customer certifying ownership under penalty of a class 1 misdemeanor if false, and the customer's name, address, age and a valid photo ID number, plus a physical description of the person.

Non-profit organizations are exempt from the article. Subsection (b) requires a pawnbroker to hold any purchased property in its original form for 10 calendar days at the licensed premises or a city-approved storage site, though redemption of pawned or pledged items is not subject to that hold. Subsection (c) requires every pawnbroker to post a conspicuous sign, printed in black block capital letters on white paper at least 110-pound index weight, with lettering at least six by nine inches and the word 'Notice' at least half an inch tall, warning customers that transactions over $25 are reported to law enforcement; the city supplies these signs at no charge. Subsection (d) opens the business, its records and its stock to inspection by any state law enforcement officer during regular hours.