Wichita, KS Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)
Key Facts
- Annual license fee
- $500.00 per Charter Ordinance No. 192
- Loan interest cap
- 10% per month, 120% annually
- Purchased-goods hold
- 14 days before resale
- Pledged-goods hold
- At least 90 days before sale
- Reporting deadline
- 5 p.m. next business day to WPD
- Penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine or 6 months jail
- Appeal window
- 30 days to district court
Summary
Wichita pawnbrokers must hold a $500 annual license under Charter Ordinance No. 192, cap loan interest at 10 percent per month, and keep pledged goods off the market for at least 90 days. The Wichita Police Department reviews every transaction record, and violating any part of the ordinance is a misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000 and six months in jail.
SECTION 3. License Required, Fee, Licenses to Conduct Business Off Premises. (a)No person, whether as principal officer, agent, or employee, shall conduct, pursue, carry on, or operate in the city, any business, or occupation commonly known as a pawnbroker, secondhand dealer, or precious metal dealer, without having first obtained a license therefor. The application for such license shall be made on forms provided by the City and shall be in writing and shall state the full name, including previous names and/or aliases used, date of birth and place of residence... Not more than one place of business shall be maintained under the same license, but more than one license may be issued to the same licensee upon compliance with all the provisions of this Act governing the issuance of the initial license.(b)Fees: Pawnbrokers shall pay an annual fee of five hundred dollars ($500.00). Secondhand dealers shall pay an annual fee of one hundred dollars ($100.00). Precious metal dealers shall pay an annual license fee of one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00). A permit fee of seventy-five dollars ($75.00) shall be assessed for any off premises business permit issued pursuant to Subsection (g).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 35).
Full Breakdown
Charter Ordinance No. 192, § 3 (as amended by Charter Ordinance No. 00 permit is required for any temporary off-premises sale event, capped at six days and no more than three such permits per licensee per year. citizens, are under 21, have a disqualifying felony or certain misdemeanor conviction within the prior 10 years, or whose business location fails to comply with the Title 28 zoning code. Every pawnbroker must keep a detailed transaction register under Section 12: the seller's full legal name, date of birth, address, ID type and number, a detailed description of the item, and price paid or loaned, and, since July 1, 2021, a digital thumbprint scan and scanned ID image.
the next business day and kept on file for at least two years. Purchased property must be tagged, segregated, and held for 14 days before resale under Section 13, and police may extend that hold to 60 days on suspicion the item is stolen. Separately, pledged or pawned items cannot be sold for at least 90 days after the loan is made under Section 14, and every loan must run a one-month term with a 60-day redemption window after the due date under Section 16.
Interest is capped at 10 percent per month, or 120 percent annually, with no added insurance or service charges permitted under Section 17. Police officers may inspect a pawnshop's premises, goods, and records at any time under Section 18. 00, up to six months in jail, or both under Sections 10 and 24.
Violations & Fines
Violating any provision of the pawnbroker ordinance, including the recordkeeping, hold-period, or interest-cap rules, is a misdemeanor carrying a fine of up to $1,000.00, up to six months in jail, or both, with each day of a continuing offense treated as a separate violation. The City Council can also suspend or revoke a pawnbroker's license after a hearing for failing to pay the annual fee, violating the ordinance, becoming ineligible under Section 4, or filing a false statement, and any revocation for selling a handgun to a minor is mandatory.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Wichita
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