Metal Dealer Licensing
To be a scrap metal dealer, dealing in any type of scrap metal including gold and silver, you need to be licensed with North Ayrshire Council.
A scrap metal dealer will not be able to carry out their business unless they are licensed with the Council. It is an offence to trade without a licence and may lead to summary conviction and a fine not exceeding £2500.
You can apply to the Council for an "Exemption Warrant" to be a metal dealer. If you have a turnover of £100,000 in the preceding 18 months you may apply for an exemption from the Act. Written proof of the turnover is required from an accountant.
A Licence is required for each premises at or from which metal dealing will be carried on. Licences will normally be for a period of 3 years.
A licence is required if you deal in any scrap metal and travel from place to place and have no premises. Licences will normally be for a period of 3 years and this licence would cover the whole of Scotland.
NB a metal dealer's licence is also required for dealing in gold and silver.
Alternatively, an application form can be obtained using the contact details on the right of this page.
Completed application forms should also be sent to the contact details at the right of this page. The application form should be accompanied by the non refundable fee.
On receipt of the completed documents, the application will be circulated to a number of consultees and some of the consultees may inspect the premises. It will also be advertised on the Council's website to allow for members of the public to lodge any objections or representations to the issue of the licence.
If there are no objections, the licence will be issued for a period of 3 years (or whatever applicable) from the date of issue.
It is in the public interest that North Ayrshire Council must process your application before it can be granted. If you have not heard from the Licensing Office within a reasonable period, please contact us. You can do this using the contact details to the right of this page.
Please note that the application process may take up to 6 weeks.
For 2010/2011 the fee is £105 for a period of three years. This fee is subject to annual review.
The fee is not returnable if you decide to withdraw the application or if the licence is refused.