General information
The Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 requires all scrap metal dealers to hold a licence with their local authority. Additional guidance on the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 is also available.
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
Scrap metal does not include:
- gold
- silver
- any alloy of which 2% or more by weight is attributable to gold or silver
The new Act gives Local Authorities more powers of control, for example refusal of a licence or revocation of a licence if the dealer is considered 'unsuitable', or the operators are not abiding to the legislative requirements set out in their application. The Police and Local Authority now have powers of entry for inspection of scrap metal premises.
There are two types of licence: a site licence and a collector's licence. You cannot hold both a site and collector's licence issued by the same council at the same time.
Licences can be issued to an individual, a partnership or a company and are valid for 3 years.
Scrap metal dealer collector's licence
A collector's licence issued by us allows you to carry on a business as a mobile collector within the Brentwood area. It does not allow you to collect from any other local authority area. If you wish to collect from another area, you will need to apply for a separate licence from the local authority in question for each area.
The licence allows you to collect any scrap metal as appropriate, including commercial and domestic scrap metal.
The licence does not allow you to carry on a business at a site. If you wish to operate from a fixed site, you will need to apply for a site licence (see next page).
There is no restriction as to where you can transport and sell material.
The licence is valid for 3 years from the date of issue.
Details of the licence fee payable can be found on our fees and charges page.
Following submission of your application and receipt of your payment, a member of the Licensing Team will contact you to arrange an appointment, to which you must bring documents to verify the name and residential address of those listed in the application.
To verify a person's full name, photograph and date of birth, the following documents will be acceptable:
- A valid UK passport;
- A valid passport issued by an EEA state;
- A valid Great Britain or Northern Ireland photo-card driving licence; or
- A valid UK biometric immigration document.
To verify a person's full name and residential address, the following documents will be acceptable:
- A bank or building society statement;
- A credit or debit card statement;
- A council tax demand letter or statement; or
- A utility bill, but not a mobile phone bill.
Scrap metal dealer site licence
All sites within Brentwood where you carry out the business of a scrap metal dealer need a licence issued by us. You will need to identify all the sites at which you wish to operate as a scrap metal dealer, and name a site manager for each site.
Once granted a licence, you will be permitted to operate from those sites, including transporting scrap metal to and from those sites within Brentwood.
The licence is valid for 3 years from the date of issue.
The licence does not allow you to collect scrap metal. If you wish to do this, you will need to apply for a collector's licence (see previous page).
Details of the fee for this licence can be found on the fees and charges page.
Following submission of your application and receipt of your payment, a member of the Licensing Team will contact you to arrange an appointment, to which you must bring documents to verify the name and residential address of those listed in the application.
To verify a person's full name, photograph and date of birth, the following documents will be acceptable:
- A valid UK passport;
- A valid passport issued by an EEA state;
- A valid Great Britain or Northern Ireland photo-card driving licence; or
- A valid UK biometric immigration document.
To verify a person's full name and residential address, the following documents will be acceptable:
- A bank or building society statement;
- A credit or debit card statement;
- A council tax demand letter or statement; or
- A utility bill, but not a mobile phone bill.