Scrap metal

A scrap metal dealer is defined in the 2013 Act as a person who:

• carries on a business which consists wholly or partly in buying or selling scrap metal
• carries on business as a motor salvage operator

Businesses which buy scrapped vehicles must be licensed if they:

• wholly or partly recover salvageable parts from motor vehicles for re-use or sale and subsequently selling or otherwise disposing of the rest of the vehicle for scrap
• wholly or mainly buy written-off vehicles and subsequently repair and resell them
• wholly or mainly buy or sell motor vehicles which are to be the subject (whether immediately or on a subsequent re-sale) of any of the activities mentioned above

Trading without a licence is a criminal offence for which you can be fined up to £5000 on conviction in a magistrates' court. A conviction may prevent you from being granted a licence in future.

Apply for a scrap metal licence

Scrap metal licence fees can be found on page 26.