Waterbury, CT Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)

City of Waterbury Code of Ordinances Chapter 121 requires every person, corporation, LLC or partnership engaged in the pawnbroker business, as defined in Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 21-39 et seq., to register with the Chief of Police, disclosing the business's trade name, all business addresses, hours of operation, the residence address of the person responsible for operations, every employee's name, and the business's mailing address, website and email (§ 121.01). Beyond state licensing under Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 21-39 through 21-45, each registrant must separately obtain a pawnbroker's license from the Police Department, and the Chief of Police may require applicants to submit to state and national criminal history checks; the license fee is set in the schedule attached to the annual city budget under § 41.11 (§ 121.02).

Pawnbrokers must keep a written English-language record of every item received on deposit, pledge or purchase, including descriptive marks and serial numbers plus the seller's identity and address, and that record cannot be falsified, erased or defaced (§ 121.03). Records and pawned property must be opened to inspection by the Chief of Police or any officer during ordinary business hours (§ 121.04). A sworn statement describing every item received in the prior week is due to the Chief of Police before noon on the first business day after each Sunday (§ 121.05).

Pawnbrokers exceeding ten transactions per week at a location must transmit that weekly data electronically into the Police Department's computerized system for tracing lost or stolen property; shops at or under ten weekly transactions may sign a sworn exemption statement but must still file the weekly paper report and comply with Conn. Gen. Stat. § 21-43 (§ 121.06). After notice and a hearing, the Chief of Police may suspend or revoke a license for a chapter violation, a disqualifying fact that existed at application, aiding another person to evade the chapter, or a conviction directly related to the pawnbroker occupation (§ 121.07).