Scrap metal licence
Summary of licences
To carry out the activity of a scrap metal collector or operate a site as a scrap metal dealer in our borough you must hold a licence issued under The Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 (legislation.gov.uk) the act states that no person may carry on business as a scrap metal dealer unless authorised by a licence under this act.
A person carries on business as a scrap metal dealer if one of the following applies:
- They carry on a business which consists wholly or partly in buying or selling scrap metal
- They carry on business as a motor salvage operator
Scrap metal includes:
- Any old, waste or discarded metal or metallic material
- Any product, article or assembly which is made from or contains metal and is broken, worn out or regarded by its last holder as having reached the end of its useful life
Motor salvage is any of the below:
- Wholly or in part recovering salvageable parts from motor vehicles for reuse or resale before selling the rest of the vehicle for scrap
- Wholly or mainly buying written off vehicles, then repairing and selling them off
- Wholly or mainly buying or selling motor vehicles for the purpose of salvaging parts from them or repairing them and selling them off
If your business involves any of the above you will require a scrap metal dealers licence.
Types of licence
Scrap metal licences are to be issued by the local authority.
A scrap metal licence must be one of the two following types:
Additional information
You can find additional information on:
