You must hold a licence if you are a scrap metal dealer. 

A site licence must be clearly displayed at each site identified in the licence, in a place accessible to the public.

A mobile collector’s licence must be clearly displayed on any vehicle that is being used by the business for people outside the vehicle to see.

How to apply 

Step 1: Get a disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service. It should be dated no more than 3 months old when you apply for a scrap metal dealer licence.

Step 2: Download our scrap metal dealer licence application and complete. 

Step 3: Submit the completed form and documents to us by email at: licensing@southglos.gov.uk or post it to: Department for Place, Licensing Service, PO Box 1954, Bristol, BS37 0DD.

Step 4: Await a phone call from us to take a payment of the fee. 

Restrictions

Visit GOV.UK for information on scrap metal dealer restrictions.

Fees 

The licence will last for 3 years unless surrendered or revoked. 

For fees, use our fees and charges information.

Renew 

Complete and return a new scrap dealer licence application one month before your current licence expires. 

Tax conditionality

If you make an application on or after 4 April 2022 you will need to complete a tax check if you are:

  • renewing a licence
  • applying for the same type of licence you previously held, that stopped being valid less than a year ago
  • applying for the same type of licence you already hold with another licensing authority

You must carry out the tax check yourself. You cannot ask a tax agent or adviser to do this on your behalf.

The tax check will ask questions about how you pay any tax that may be due on income you earn from your licensed trade.

After you have completed the tax check you will be given a 9-character tax check code.

You will need to include the code on your application to the licensing authority so they can confirm you have carried out a tax check.

For further HMRC guidance about your tax registration obligations visit the following GOV.UK web pages:

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