West Des Moines, IA Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)

Under West Des Moines City Code Chapter 3, Chapter 8, no person may "engage in or carry on the business of a dealer" without a license from the City Clerk (Section 3-8-2). A "pawnbroker" is defined at Section 3-8-1 as anyone who makes loans on pawn, pledge or deposit of personal property or who holds himself out as a pawnbroker. Applicants must disclose a decade of criminal history, submit an Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation background check dated within 30 days, and identify their business premises by lease or deed (Section 3-8-3).

Licenses run annually, expiring April 30, with renewal applications due by April 1 (Section 3-8-6); fees are set by City Council resolution and are non-refundable if the license is surrendered, suspended or revoked (Section 3-8-7). Before a license issues, the pawnbroker must post a $1,000 bond per establishment conditioned on observing all pawnbroker laws and accounting for goods to their rightful owners (Section 3-8-11). The Chief of Police designates an internet-based property tracking service, and every dealer must report each transaction within 24 hours, including the seller's name, address, date of birth, driver's license number, item descriptions, serial numbers, amount paid and a photograph when no serial number exists; records belong to the City and must be kept three years (Section 3-8-12).

A license may be denied, suspended or revoked for zoning conflicts, code or state law violations, fraud, a qualifying conviction in the prior ten years, or a finding the applicant lacks good moral character (Section 3-8-9), with a right to appeal to the Municipal Code Hearing Officer within ten calendar days and, after that, to Polk County District Court within thirty days (Section 3-8-10).