Adams County, CO Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)

Ordinance No. 10, re-enacted January 25, 2022 under Resolution 2022-091 and effective February 25, 2022, regulates pawnbrokers in unincorporated Adams County, defined as anyone regularly engaged in making contracts for purchase (pawn transactions with a buy-back option of at least 30 days) or purchase transactions (outright purchase of used goods for resale). For every transaction, the pawnbroker must immediately record in a numerical register the customer's name, address, date of birth and government-issued ID number, a clear imprint of the customer's right index finger, the date, time and place of the deal, and a detailed description of each item including serial or model numbers.

The pawnbroker must also obtain a signed declaration of ownership from the customer. Registers must be kept in the format the Adams County Sheriff requires, made available to any law enforcement officer on request, and retained for at least three years. Every pawnshop transaction, whether a contract for purchase or an outright purchase, must be videotaped, with recordings kept at least 90 days. Goods taken under a contract for purchase must be held 10 days past the contract's maturity date, and goods bought outright must be held 30 days, both without alteration.

Pawnbrokers pay a $1 transaction fee per pawn slip to cover law-enforcement processing costs, and must send the Sheriff copies of the week's records on a day the Sheriff designates. Automobile pawnbroking is exempt from this ordinance entirely.