(a) Every pawnbroker shall keep a book in which shall be fairly written, at the time of each loan, an accurate account and description of the goods, article, or thing pawned or pledged, the amount of money loaned thereon, the time of pledging the same, the rate of interest to be paid on such loan, and the name and residence of the person pawning or pledging the said goods, article, or thing, together with a particular description of such person, including complexion, color of eyes and hair, and his or her height and general appearances.

(b) The said book shall at all reasonable times be open to the inspection of the Mayor. It shall be the duty of every pawnbroker, and of every person in his employ, to admit to his premises during business hours any member of the Metropolitan Police force of the District of Columbia as aforesaid to examine any pledge or pawnbook or other record on the premises, as well as the articles pledged, purchased, or received, and to search for and take possession of any article known by him to be missing or known or believed by him to have been stolen, without the formality of the writ of search warrant or any other process, which search or seizure is hereby authorized.

(c) Except as to any judicial or other official of the District, having a right thereto in his official capacity, it shall be unlawful for any officer or employee of the District to divulge or make known in any manner the contents of such book.

(d) Every pawnbroker shall, every day, except Sunday, before the hour of 11:00 a.m., deliver to the Chief of Police, or his representative, on forms or via electronic means in a format prescribed by the Mayor, a legible and correct transcript from the book or books provided for in subsection (a) of this section, showing an accurate and complete description of every article or thing received by him, in pawn or pledge, and giving all numbers, marks, monograms, trademarks, manufacturers’ names, and other marks of identification appearing on the same, on the business day next preceding, together with the numbers of the pawn ticket issued therefor, the amount of the loan thereon, and the name, residence, and physical description of the person pawning or pledging the said goods, article or thing.

(Aug. 6, 1956, 70 Stat. 1041, ch. 970, § 11; Mar. 12, 2011, D.C. Law 18-315, § 4(d), 57 DCR 12412; Sept. 26, 2012, D.C. Law 19-171, § 302, 59 DCR 6190; Dec. 24, 2013, D.C. Law 20-61, § 7158(d), 60 DCR 12472.)

1981 Ed., § 2-1911.

1973 Ed., § 2-2011.

This section is referenced in § 47-2884.12.

D.C. Law 18-315, in subsec. (d), substituted “on forms or via electronic means in a format prescribed by the Mayor” for “on forms to be prescribed by the Mayor of the District of Columbia”.

D.C. Law 19-171 enacted this subchapter into law.

The 2013 amendment by D.C. Law 20-61 purported to substitute “on forms or via electronic means in a format prescribed by the Mayor” for “on forms to be prescribed by the Mayor of the District of Columbia” in (d), a substitution that had already been made by D.C. Law 18-315.

For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 7158(d) of the Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Support Emergency Act of 2013 (D.C. Act 20-130, July 30, 2013, 60 DCR 11384, 20 DCSTAT 1827).

For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 7158(d) of the Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Support Congressional Review Emergency Act of 2013 (D.C. Act 20-204, October 17, 2013, 60 DCR 15341, 20 DCSTAT 2311).

Section 7151 of D.C. Law 20-61 provided that Subtitle O of Title VII of the act may be cited as the “Tax Clarification Amendment Act of 2013”.

Applicability of D.C. Law 20-61: Section 11001 of D.C. Law 20-61 provided that, except as otherwise provided, the act shall apply as of October 1, 2013.

This section originated at a time when local government powers were delegated to a Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia (see Acts Relating to the Establishment of the District of Columbia and its Various Forms of Governmental Organization in Volume 1). Section 401 of Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1967 (see Reorganization Plans in Volume 1) transferred all of the functions of the Board of Commissioners under this section to a single Commissioner. The District of Columbia Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act, 87 Stat. 818, § 711 ( D.C. Code, § 1-207.11), abolished the District of Columbia Council and the Office of Commissioner of the District of Columbia. These branches of government were replaced by the Council of the District of Columbia and the Office of Mayor of the District of Columbia, respectively. Accordingly, and also pursuant to § 714(a) of such Act ( D.C. Code, § 1-207.14(a)), appropriate changes in terminology were made in this section.