PawnSmarts comes pre-configured for Oregon — the 3% monthly interest cap, 10% setup and 7% storage fees, the 60-day minimum term, and the 3-day local police report — so your records line up with ORS Chapter 726 from day one.
Oregon pawn law is a dual framework: the state licenses pawnbrokers through the Division of Financial Regulation (DFR) under Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 726 — setting a 3% monthly interest cap, a 10% setup fee, a 7% storage fee, a 60-day minimum loan term and 3-day local police reporting — while cities and counties may layer on stricter local rules. The state sets the baseline — a $25,000 bond, a 60-day minimum loan term, fee caps and mandatory recordkeeping — while qualifying local jurisdictions can layer on daily reporting, specific forms and holding periods. That means your obligations can differ between Portland, Salem, Eugene, Bend and smaller towns.
PawnSmarts handles the recordkeeping side of all of it. It captures the ORS 726.285 fields on every ticket, calculates the 3% interest plus the 10% setup and 7% storage fees, tracks the 60-day term and renewals, and exports your transactions to your local police agency (or LEADS Online) inside the 3-day window. You stay responsible for your DFR license, your bond and confirming your local rules — the software does the busywork.
Oregon requires a state pawnbroker license for any business that lends money at more than 10% per year on pledged personal property — including buy-back arrangements and storage-warehouse lending structured to exceed that rate.
Application requirements for new applicants:
The license term is one year. The $350 renewal fee is due by December 15 each year, and the annual report is due January 15 (combined with renewal).
The Director may deny a license if any named person:
Oregon's DFR sets specific limits on what a pawn transaction can charge. PawnSmarts is set up to calculate each of these, with the rates you confirm against current law:
Oregon pawnbrokers may not take as pledges:
ORS 726.285 sets the core recordkeeping rules for Oregon pawnbrokers. PawnSmarts captures every required field on the ticket as you write it:
Local reporting: the pawnbroker must deliver each record (or a copy), in physical or electronic form, to the local police agency with jurisdiction within three days of the transaction. PawnSmarts can export these records and transmit them to your agency or to LEADS Online inside that window. Records may be kept and delivered electronically, and all records must be available to any peace officer on demand.
ORS 646A.060 regulates secondhand stores, consignment stores and similar businesses — but it does not apply to pawnbrokers licensed under ORS 726.080. Licensed pawnbrokers follow the pawn-specific recordkeeping in Chapter 726, not the general secondhand-dealer rules.
ORS 646A.066 and 646A.067 create an unusual framework. State law preempts local pawnbroker requirements — unless a city or county has been identified by the Secretary of State as having an ordinance that imposes:
The Secretary of State maintains a public list of cities and counties where state law does not preempt the local ordinance. Check that list to know whether your jurisdiction has qualifying local requirements. Cities or counties with qualifying ordinances must notify the secretary in writing and provide a copy of the ordinance.
Oregon City's ordinance (§5.16.080) shows the kind of requirements a qualifying jurisdiction can add:
These daily-reporting rules would only apply if Oregon City is on the Secretary of State's list of qualifying ordinances under ORS 646A.066. PawnSmarts can produce daily exports as easily as 3-day exports, so it adapts to whichever standard governs you.
Local requirements change and interpretations vary — confirm your current licensing and reporting obligations with the Secretary of State's list and the city or county where you operate.
Oregon law requires delivery of transaction records to the local police agency within three days of the transaction, in physical or electronic form. If your city or county is on the Secretary of State's list, a stricter local standard (such as Oregon City's daily reporting) may apply instead.
PawnSmarts exports your transaction data and can transmit to LEADS Online when configured, and it produces the police reports your agency expects. Agencies that may receive reports include:
There are no per-report or per-transaction charges from PawnSmarts. State license fees ($350 renewal, $500 application) and any local fees are paid directly to the state or municipality.
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 DMDC (Defense Manpower Data Center) portal, a free public website; verification must happen at or before the transaction, and proof must be retained.
PawnSmarts lets you record DMDC confirmation numbers and attach verification documents to the customer record. You enter the rates; the software performs the arithmetic. You remain responsible for ensuring the transaction stays within federal and state limits.
3% monthly interest, 10% setup, 7% storage, firearm fees and the 60-day term are pre-configured. Open a ticket and the math is done.
Export and transmit to your local police or LEADS Online inside the 3-day window — or run daily exports where a local ordinance requires it.
Write pawns and print tickets without internet. PawnSmarts auto-syncs when you reconnect; internet is only needed for electronic reporting and DMDC lookups.
On Professional, pledgors get three reminders before a loan is due and can pay online with a secure link — fewer forfeitures, fewer phone calls.
PawnSmarts is $89/month for Essential or $129/month for Professional — month to month, no contract, no setup fee, no exit fee. Prefer to own it outright? Professional is also a one-time $2,995. Data migration is $295, done for you, with most shops live in under 24 hours. Want to see how that stacks up against other vendors? Check our pawn software comparison.
An Oregon shop in Happy Valley (Clackamas County) is among the pawnbrokers running PawnSmarts — following the state's 3-day reporting rule and exporting transactions to the local police directly from the software.
New to Oregon's rules or comparing states? See our states we serve overview and the US pawn licensing guide for how requirements differ across the country.
Oregon's Division of Financial Regulation caps pawn interest at 3% per month on the loan principal. On top of that, pawnbrokers may charge a setup fee of 10% of the loan amount (minimum $2, maximum $250 per item) and a storage fee of 7% of the loan amount (same minimums and maximums); these three charges are separate — not an aggregate cap — so they stack on each Oregon ticket. PawnSmarts comes with this fee formula pre-configured, so the 3% interest plus the 10% and 7% fees calculate automatically when you open a ticket.
Oregon law requires a minimum 60-day loan term, and pawnbrokers must offer that full term to every pledgor, so an item cannot be forfeited or sold before the 60-day period has elapsed. Renewals extend the term in additional 60-day increments, each charged at the same interest and fee rates. PawnSmarts tracks each loan's term and renewals for you so the redemption and forfeiture dates stay accurate.
Under ORS 726.285, Oregon pawnbrokers must deliver a record of each transaction to the local police agency with jurisdiction within three days of the transaction, in physical or electronic form, and cities on the Oregon Secretary of State's qualifying-ordinance list — such as Oregon City — may impose stricter daily reporting instead. All records must be available to any peace officer on demand. PawnSmarts exports your transaction data and can transmit it to your agency or to LEADS Online inside the required window, and it can run daily exports where a local ordinance demands them.
Yes — Oregon requires a state pawnbroker license from the Division of Financial Regulation for any business lending money at more than 10% per year on pledged personal property, and the license carries a $500 application fee, a $25,000 surety bond, a one-year term and a $350 renewal due by December 15 each year. PawnSmarts does not obtain or track your license, bond or renewal dates — that remains your responsibility — but it keeps the transaction records and reports those obligations are built around.
Pawn software pricing varies by vendor and features, but 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 a one-time $2,995 to own Professional outright, and it is free with integrated card processing. Data migration is $295 and done for you, with most Oregon shops live in under 24 hours, and the Oregon fee structure is already built in.
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Questions? [email protected] · 800-710-6184