Alpharetta, GA Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- Annual license fee
- $175, non-transferable
- Required bond
- $10,000 blanket bond payable to city
- Resale hold period
- 30 days on outright purchases
- Background check
- Police investigation of applicant's reputation
- Appeal deadline
- 10 days, written, to city clerk
- Enforcing agency
- Alpharetta Department of Public Safety
Summary
Anyone operating a pawnshop or working as a pawnbroker in the City of Alpharetta must first obtain a city license under Code of Ordinances § 10-337. The $175 annual license is non-transferable, requires a police background investigation, bars applicants with felony or usury convictions, and demands a $10,000 blanket bond payable to the city. Pawnbrokers who buy goods outright must hold them 30 days before resale.
Pawnshop means any business wherein a substantial part thereof is to take or receive, by way of pledge, pawn or exchange, any goods, wares, merchandise or any kind of personal property, as security for the repayment of money lent thereon. ... It shall be unlawful for any person to conduct or transact a pawnbroker business or pawnshop without first obtaining a city license. The fee for such license shall be $175.00 annually. Licenses are not transferable. ... (g)No license shall be issued to any person who does not maintain a blanket bond in an amount not less than $10,000.00. Such bond must be made payable to the city. ... Any pawnbroker or person operating under a pawnbroker's license who purchases goods, other than those purchased through wholesalers or on order in the normal course of business, taking full title thereto (the term "goods" being used in the broadest sense and including all kinds of personal property) shall hold such goods purchased for at least 30 days before disposing of same by sale, transfer, shipment or otherwise.
Full Breakdown
Article XI of Chapter 10 defines a pawnshop as any business that takes goods, wares or personal property by pledge, pawn or exchange as security for a loan (§ 10-336). Section 10-337 makes it unlawful to conduct a pawnbroker business without a city license, sets the fee at $175 annually, and bars issuance to anyone convicted of a felony, a crime of moral turpitude, or usury; to anyone who submits false information; or to anyone who is not a county resident or does not keep a registered agent in the county.
Applicants must maintain a $10,000 blanket bond payable to the city and cannot already be in the finance or lending business. The city police department must investigate and issue a favorable report on the applicant's reputation before a license issues. Once licensed, a pawnbroker consents to warrantless entry and inspection of the premises by police at any time (§ 10-338), must furnish the director of public safety a weekly list of every item sold or pledged, including customer identification and driver's license number (§ 10-339), and must take a thumbprint from anyone pledging or selling an item worth more than $10 or any firearm (§ 10-340).
Pawnbrokers cannot do business with minors (§ 10-341), must report suspected stolen goods to police and refuse items with removed serial numbers (§ 10-342), and must hold outright purchases for 30 days before reselling them (§ 10-343).
Violations & Fines
Operating a pawnshop or pawnbroker business in Alpharetta without a city license is unlawful under § 10-337(a) and punishable under § 1-8, with each day a violation continues counted as a separate offense (§ 10-346). The city may suspend or revoke a license under § 10-344 for fraud in the application or in conducting business, failure to keep the required sales records or report suspected stolen goods, any violation of Article XI, or violation of the state pawnbroker statutes at O.C.G.A. §§ 44-12-130 through 44-12-137. A denied, suspended or revoked applicant must file a written appeal with the city clerk within ten days; the city council hears and finally decides the appeal (§ 10-345).
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a city license to open a pawnshop in Alpharetta?
How long must a pawnbroker hold purchased items before reselling them?
Can a felony conviction stop someone from getting a pawnshop license?
What happens if my pawnbroker license is denied or revoked?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Alpharetta
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