Secondhand dealers and pawnbrokers in Mesa must hold a city business license, register transactions on Arizona's Leads Online system, and keep purchases on hold for police inspection. State and city rules require photo ID verification of every seller.
Mesa Code Title 7 requires secondhand dealers, pawnshops, and scrap metal buyers to obtain a city business license and comply with ARS Title 44 Chapter 11 reporting laws. Dealers must collect government photo ID from every seller, photograph items, and upload transactions daily to a state-approved electronic reporting system such as Leads Online used by Mesa Police. Items must be held for at least 15 days before resale or melting to allow theft recovery. Mesa Police pawn detail reviews logs to identify stolen property and may place holds on suspicious merchandise.
Failing to upload transactions, accepting items without ID, or reselling within the 15-day hold period can result in business license suspension, criminal misdemeanor charges, and forfeiture of the merchandise involved.
See how other cities in Maricopa County handle secondhand dealers.
See how Mesa's secondhand dealers rules stack up against other locations.
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