Who Has to Report to LeadsOnline? Requirements by State

The short answer: you have to report to LeadsOnline if your city or county ordinance, or your police department, requires it — and for pawn shops, secondhand dealers, scrap recyclers and gold buyers in much of the country, one of them does. There is no federal LeadsOnline mandate, and state law usually requires that you report transactions to law enforcement without naming which electronic system. The specific "use LeadsOnline" requirement is almost always local.

The three levels of reporting requirements

This is the piece almost nobody explains, and it's why two shops in the same state can have completely different obligations:

State statute. Nearly every state's pawnbroker (and often secondhand-dealer and scrap-metal) law requires keeping transaction records and making them available to law enforcement — many require regular reporting outright. The statute sets what must be recorded: seller identity, ID details, item descriptions, serial numbers, hold periods.
City or county ordinance. This is where the electronic mandate usually lives. Local ordinances commonly require daily electronic reporting and designate the accepted system — LeadsOnline in many jurisdictions, a regional or department system in others.
Police department policy. Even without an explicit ordinance, departments often direct regulated businesses to report through LeadsOnline as the practical means of satisfying the statute. The letter or visit from your pawn detail is this level in action.

How to find out if you must report

1. Re-read whatever notice you received. If the police department sent a letter or paid a visit, that notice names the system, the transactions covered and the deadline. That document is your requirement.
2. Check your city and county code. Search your municipal code (most are online) for "pawnbroker," "secondhand dealer," "scrap metal" or "reporting." The ordinance will state the reporting frequency and method.
3. Ask your police department's pawn/property detail. One phone call settles it — and starts the relationship on the right foot. Ask which system they use, which transactions to report, and the deadline.
4. Check your state's pawn statute for the baseline. Our state guides below summarize each state's licensing and reporting rules.

Rule of thumb: if you hold a pawn, secondhand, precious-metals or scrap license, assume a reporting obligation exists and confirm the details — the burden is on the shop to know. Verify with your local authorities.

Who reports, by business type

Pawn shops — the core reporters; pawns and purchases both, in most jurisdictions.
Secondhand and resale dealers — used merchandise buys, per local ordinance.
Scrap-metal recyclers — many states passed metal-theft laws mandating purchase reporting; the electronic system is designated locally.
Gold and precious-metal buyers — frequently covered by the same ordinances as pawnbrokers.

State-by-state pawn law guides

Each guide covers that state's licensing, record-keeping and police-reporting rules — the statutory layer your local LeadsOnline requirement sits on top of. (For a worked example of how state police-reporting rules interact with electronic reporting, see our Florida police report requirements guide.)

For the full national overview, see the US pawn licensing guide; Canadian shops (reporting to RAPID rather than LeadsOnline) should see the Canadian provincial guide.

Once you know you must report

The requirement is the easy part — meeting it every business day is the work. Our step-by-step reporting guide covers enrollment and your first upload, and if you're already retyping tickets into the portal by hand, see what manual entry costs and how to automate it.

PawnSmarts is pre-configured for your state. Every plan includes LEADS Online reporting, police reports and state-specific compliance from $89/month. We migrate your data for a one-time $395 — see the comparison page.

Not a pawn shop? Secondhand dealers, gold buyers and scrap recyclers covered by these requirements can meet them without a pawn system: Report To Leads is our reporting-only terminal at $49/month — ID capture, buy tickets with serials and photos, automatic LEADS Online submission.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is LeadsOnline required by federal law?

No. There is no federal LeadsOnline mandate. Reporting obligations come from state pawnbroker and secondhand-dealer statutes, city and county ordinances, and police department policy — and the specific requirement to use LeadsOnline is usually set locally.

Does my state require LeadsOnline specifically?

Usually not by name. State statutes typically require that transactions be recorded and reported to law enforcement; the city, county or police department then designates the electronic system. That's why the same state can have LeadsOnline cities and non-LeadsOnline cities.

Do all police departments use LeadsOnline?

No. LeadsOnline is the most widely used system in the US, but some departments use regional or department-specific systems, and Canadian agencies use RAPID. Your police department tells you which system to report to — you don't choose.

My shop is outside city limits. Do I still have to report?

Possibly — county ordinances and sheriff's-office policies can impose the same requirements as city ones, and your state statute's record-keeping and reporting duties apply regardless. Confirm with the agency that holds jurisdiction over your address.

What are the penalties for not reporting?

Set by the ordinance or statute that imposes the duty: typically fines and citations, escalating to license suspension or revocation for repeat failures. Late and missing reports are the most common violation, which is why scheduled automatic upload is the safer default.

I just got a letter from the police saying I have to report. What now?

That letter is your requirement — it names the system, covered transactions and deadline. Get enrolled with LeadsOnline for credentials, then decide between manual portal entry and automatic upload from your point-of-sale software. Our step-by-step guide walks through both.

This page is general information, not legal advice — always verify your obligations with your local authorities. PawnSmarts is independent pawn shop software and is not affiliated with or endorsed by LeadsOnline, LLC. LeadsOnline is a trademark of its owner.

Who Has to Report to LeadsOnline?

The three levels of reporting requirements

How to find out if you must report

Who reports, by business type

State-by-state pawn law guides

Once you know you must report

Frequently Asked Questions

Is LeadsOnline required by federal law?

Does my state require LeadsOnline specifically?

Do all police departments use LeadsOnline?

My shop is outside city limits. Do I still have to report?

What are the penalties for not reporting?

I just got a letter from the police saying I have to report. What now?

Compliant in Every State. Automatically.