Metal dealer and recycler registration

A buyer of a scrap yard or metal recycler meets registration when asking what lets the yard trade at all. The British Columbia government says metal dealers and recyclers who purchase regulated metal must register with the Province, and that those who deal exclusively in non-regulated items, and mobile dealers working from a motor vehicle with no physical business location, do not need to register. Regulated metal includes items substantially made of non-ferrous metal, and not every non-ferrous item is regulated.

What the British Columbia Act requires

The Metal Dealers and Recyclers Act says a person must not carry on business as a metal dealer or recycler unless registered under the Act, and section 30 says the Act does not apply to a person who purchases or sells a used motor vehicle that has been, or will be, crushed for recycling. For each transaction, the dealer must give the prescribed information, including the customer code assigned to the transaction, to the local police authority within the prescribed period. The Act requires transaction information to be kept on the business premises for at least one year from the date of the transaction, and inspectors may, during normal business hours, enter the premises and examine records and goods.

What to check or ask

• Whether the yard buys regulated metal, and which of its purchases fall outside the definition
• Whether the registration is current and held by the entity being bought
• Whether transaction records are complete and police reports were made as the Act requires
• Whether the registrar will register a new owner, and when, before closing

The buying guide for auto salvage and recycling yards covers the wider checks. This entry covers British Columbia only; check the rules where the yard operates.