1. Check the supplier before receiving the metal
Verify the supplier’s full name and address before receiving scrap metal from them. Use documents, data or other information from a reliable, independent source. Section 11.
The prescribed document routes are:
- One of the listed photo documents showing the person’s full name, photograph and residential address.
- Or a listed photo document showing their full name, photograph and date of birth, plus a listed supporting document showing their full name and residential address.
Listed photo documents: a valid UK passport, a valid passport from a European Economic Area (EEA) state, a valid Great Britain or Northern Ireland photocard driving licence, or a valid UK biometric immigration document. A passport normally needs the supporting address document.
Listed supporting documents: a bank or building society statement, credit or debit card statement, council tax demand letter or statement, or utility bill other than a mobile phone bill. It must have been issued no more than three months before the metal is received.
Read regulation 2 for the prescribed documents and information.
Regular suppliers. The Home Office guidance says you can refer to copies retained from the first transaction to verify a repeat supplier. Keep a copy of every document used for the name and address check. Home Office guidance, section 12.
2. Pay by an allowed method
Pay by electronic transfer or a non-transferable cheque. Cash is not allowed. Paying with goods or services is also caught by the restriction. Section 12.
3. Record each receipt of metal
For metal received in the course of business, record:
- The type or types of metal, form, condition, weight, and any distinguishing features or marks identifying previous owners.
- The date and time received.
- The vehicle registration, if it arrives in or on a vehicle.
- The supplier’s full name and address, if received from a person.
- The full name of the person paying on the dealer’s behalf, if payment is made.
Keep copies of the ID documents used. For a cheque, keep a copy of the cheque. For an electronic transfer, keep the receipt identifying it; if no receipt was obtained, record details identifying the transfer. Section 13.
Describe the actual scrap. The Home Office gives a washing machine as an example: name the item instead of recording only a general metal description. Guidance, section 10.
4. Record each disposal of metal
For a disposal under a site licence, record:
- The type or types of metal, form and weight.
- The date and time of disposal.
- The other person’s full name and address, if the disposal is to another person.
- The price or other consideration received, if payment is received.
The duty can apply even if the metal has changed form, is not transferred to another person or does not leave the site. Collector’s licences have a different disposal checklist. Section 14.
5. Link the records and keep them for three years
Make it possible to identify the metal from its record and the record from the metal. Mark ID and cheque copies so they can be linked to the relevant metal. Keep receipt records for three years from receipt and disposal records for three years from disposal. Section 15.
Inspections and responsibility
Police and local authority officers have powers to inspect licensed sites and records, and take copies. Notice is normally given, but the Act allows entry without notice in specified circumstances. Section 16 sets out the conditions, including the rules for residential premises and warrants.
Breaching the ID, payment or record duties can be an offence. Depending on the duty and circumstances, responsibility can fall on the dealer, site manager and the person carrying out the task. The statutory defences and penalties are in Section 11, Section 12 and Section 15.
Where ScrapLog comes in
The gate records the seller, metals and weights on a load. The office checks the details and completes it.
Choose whether ID copies are kept in ScrapLog or a named app. The ID-check tick on each load is a separate setting. These choices do not change the duty to verify the supplier before receipt.
When you keep payment records in ScrapLog, it records the method, the reference and who marked the payment as paid. You make the payment through your bank or payment service. Naming another app for ID copies or payments does not connect the systems.
Choose dates to print records of metal received and sent out. Large periods may need splitting. Use the checklists above to check your records, including any evidence kept elsewhere.
£200 a month per site and £300 once to set the yard up.
At the gate · In the office · What it costs
Sources
Checked on 15 October 2026. The links lead to the law and the Home Office’s interpretation. Courts decide how the legislation applies.
- Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 — sections 11 to 16, revised text
- Prescribed documents and information regulations — SI 2013/2276, regulation 2
- Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013: supplementary guidance — Home Office, updated 2 March 2023