PawnSmarts handles your Kansas pawn tickets, city or county licensing details, and weekly police reporting — so you can write a new pawn in about 30 seconds and file clean reports on time.
Kansas pawn law requires every pawnbroker and precious metal dealer to obtain a license before doing business under K.S.A. 16-707 — issued by the city clerk for shops inside the corporate limits of a city of the first or second class, or by the county clerk for shops outside city limits — with a minimum $25 annual state fee that cities may raise. It is a hybrid system: state statute sets the baseline while most authority is delegated to cities and counties, so requirements vary by jurisdiction.
That decentralized approach means requirements vary by jurisdiction. The state sets a minimum $25 annual license fee (deposited in the city or county general fund), but cities may add their own eligibility rules, higher fees, and specific reporting formats. PawnSmarts comes pre-configured for Kansas and gives you the records, ticket templates, and exports to meet those obligations. You stay responsible for confirming current rules with your local authority and submitting correct information — the software is your recordkeeping engine, not your lawyer.
Under K.S.A. 16-707, no person may engage or continue in business as a pawnbroker or precious metal dealer without first obtaining a license. Licensing authority depends on where you operate:
The application itself asks for a defined set of facts, and PawnSmarts keeps the underlying records you'll draw on:
The City of Abilene's pawnbroker ordinance (based on the Attorney General form) shows how municipal requirements go well beyond the bare state statute. Abilene's eligibility rules require that the applicant:
Abilene also restricts stock transfers — corporate stock cannot be transferred to ineligible persons, and if a shareholder dies and the heirs are ineligible, they have 14 months to sell to an eligible person. The license must be kept conspicuously posted, is not transferable or assignable, and each location requires its own license. The City Clerk and Chief of Police have free access to all books, accounts, records, files, safes, and vaults.
Operates under city code with specific reporting requirements to the Wichita Police Department. Electronic reporting is encouraged.
Licensing through the city clerk; participates in regional reporting systems.
Unified government with combined city/county licensing.
Municipal code requirements with reporting to Shawnee County authorities.
County clerk licensing applies outside city limits. Some counties add little beyond the state statute.
Local requirements change and interpretations vary. Confirm current licensing and reporting obligations with the city or county where you operate.
Kansas regulates pawnbrokers and precious metal dealers under the same statutory framework. The definition of "precious metal" includes gold, silver, platinum-group metals, and used articles containing such metals (excluding numismatic coins and industrial scrap from manufacturers). If you purchase precious metals for resale, you are subject to the same licensing and reporting requirements as pawnbrokers — even if you never make a loan. PawnSmarts lets you set up a separate transaction type for outright purchases so those buys are recorded and reportable alongside your pledges.
Many Kansas cities require weekly reports of all property received — Abilene, for example, requires reports by Tuesday each week covering the preceding calendar week. Reports must be made on forms prescribed by the local Chief of Police; some departments accept electronic formats while others still require paper. Agencies known to receive pawn reports include:
PawnSmarts exports your transaction data and supports LEADS Online reporting along with delimited file formats. If your agency provides a layout spec (field order, delimiters, header rows), you can match your export to it. See our police reporting guide for how that works. You stay responsible for testing and validating each export against your agency's current spec.
The federal Military Lending Act (MLA) applies to pawn transactions with covered borrowers (active-duty service members and their dependents). The APR, including pawn service charges, may not exceed 36%. Covered status is verified through the free DMDC (Defense Manpower Data Center) portal, and you must check status at or before the transaction and retain proof. PawnSmarts lets you record DMDC confirmation numbers and attach screenshots or PDFs to the pledgor's record. The software performs the arithmetic on rates you enter; you remain responsible for staying within federal and state limits.
PawnSmarts runs in any browser on Windows, Mac, iPad, Android, or phone, and works with common off-the-shelf peripherals — no proprietary hardware required:
Any Windows printer (inkjet or laser), plus thermal label printers from Zebra, Dymo, TSC, Godex, and compatible generics.
Driver's license scanners (1D/2D barcode) and TWAIN-compatible document scanners.
POS-X, Star, Epson, or generic drawers with an RJ11 interface.
USB webcams, microscope cameras, or IP cameras for item and customer photos.
PawnSmarts is $89/month for Essential or $129/month for Professional — month to month, cancel anytime, no setup fee and no contract. Prefer to own it outright? Professional is also available as a one-time purchase for $2,995. Already running another system? We migrate your data for a one-time $395 and have you live in under 24 hours. Compare PawnSmarts head to head on our comparison page, or see every state we cover on the states we serve page and the US licensing guide.
"Wichita PD wanted weekly reports in a specific format. Now we export a file and email it — we just had to get the field order right with their property crimes unit, then test it every few months."
— Early user, pawn shop owner, Wichita, KansasNew to pawn software? Start with what pawn shop software does, then dig into police reporting and LEADS Online.
Under K.S.A. 16-707, pawnbroker and precious metal dealer licenses are issued by the city clerk for shops inside the corporate limits of a city of the first or second class, or by the county clerk for shops outside city limits. The state sets a minimum $25 annual license fee deposited in the city or county general fund, but individual cities may set higher fees.
Many Kansas cities require weekly reports of all property received in pledge or purchased during the preceding calendar week. In Abilene, for example, these reports are due on or before Tuesday of each week and must be submitted on forms prescribed by the Chief of Police. PawnSmarts exports transaction data for LEADS Online and delimited file formats to match each agency's specifications.
Yes. Kansas regulates pawnbrokers and precious metal dealers under the same statutory framework (K.S.A. 16-707). Precious metal dealers who purchase gold, silver, platinum-group metals, or used articles containing such metals are subject to the same licensing and weekly reporting requirements as pawnbrokers — even if they never make a loan.
Local ordinances can add significant requirements beyond the state statute. Abilene's ordinance, for example, requires applicants to be U.S. citizens with at least two years of Kansas residency, no felony convictions within the past 10 years, no prior license revocations, be at least 21 years old, and own or hold a written lease for the premises. For corporations, every officer, manager, director, and shareholder must be eligible.
Pawn shop software is typically sold as a monthly subscription or a one-time license, with most full-featured systems running a few hundred dollars per month. PawnSmarts is $89/month for Essential or $129/month for Professional — month to month with no contract, no setup fee and no exit fee — or $2,995 once to own Professional outright, and free when you use our integrated card processing. Every plan includes LEADS Online export, OFAC checks, and 48 states preconfigured, works offline and syncs, and runs in any browser on Windows, Mac, iPad, Android or phone. Switching from another system is a one-time $395 migration, live in under 24 hours.
Open the live demo and click around. If it looks right, sign up and we'll move your data — live in under 24 hours.
Questions? [email protected] · 800-710-6184