Tuscaloosa, AL Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)

Sec. 7-160(a) defines a "secondhand dealer" to include "any person who is a pawnbroker under the Alabama Pawnshop Act," and Sec. " Pawnbrokers are licensed on the Sec. 7-18 schedule under NAICS 522298, "Pawnshop," which carries a base fee of $125 plus payment schedule D. Once licensed, Sec. 7-161(a) requires every pawnbroker to record, in ink or an approved computerized system, a full description of each item pledged or purchased (including any serial number, trademark, or identifying mark), the amount loaned or paid, the date and a unique transaction identifier, and the full name, address, phone number, date of birth, race, sex, and signature of the person pawning the item, along with a photocopy of that person's driver's license or other photo ID and the tag number of the vehicle they arrived in.

Sec. 7-161(a)(7) additionally requires color digital photographs of the customer, the item, and the customer holding the item, submitted to the Tuscaloosa Police Department in a format it specifies, with a sign posted notifying customers they are being photographed. Records, photocopies, and photographs must be kept at least six months and made available to the chief of police on request. Sec. 7-165 keeps the pawnshop premises open to police inspection during business hours, and Sec. 7-167 makes a conviction for violating the article grounds to revoke the business license under Sec. 7-26.