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• Pawnbrokers and Secondhand Goods Dealers

Content current as of 04/28/26

Pawnbrokers and Secondhand Goods Dealers

“Pawnbroker” means any business engaged in the activity of loaning money on the security pledges deposits or conditional sales of personal property or who makes a public display at or near the place of business of any sign or symbol generally used by pawnbrokers or any sign that he or she has money to loan on personal property on deposit or pledge.

“Secondhand Goods Dealer” means any person engaged in the business of buying, selling, trading, consignment selling, or transferring for value secondhand goods. “Secondhand Goods” means any item of personal property that is not new, purchased, traded in, or offered for sale.

Any business conducting this activity must obtain a pawnbroker or secondhand goods dealer license. The license application must be reviewed by Planning and Development Services prior to the activity being conducted to protect the public welfare, health, and safety of citizens.

The license requires all businesses to report daily transactions to the Tacoma Police Department (TPD) through LeadsOnline and outlines specific record-keeping requirements that must be available to TPD when requested.

Approval can be obtained by applying Pawnbroker and Secondhand Goods and fee to the Tax & License office. The application will be routed to the appropriate City departments for review.

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