Dealing in scrap metal, or the running of a scrap metal business, is controlled by the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013. If you're a scrap metal dealer or motor salvage operator you must have a licence to trade.

• A site licence allows you to trade as a scrap metal dealer at a single site, or multiple sites, in Barnsley.
• A collector's licence allows you to trade as a mobile collector and sell or dispose of metal in Barnsley (including the sale and disposal of motor parts).

You can't hold a site licence and a collector's licence in the same area. However you can apply for a site licence in one local authority area and a collector's licence in another.

Fees

The fee for a site licence is £380 and the fee for a collector's licence is £180. The fee for varying a licence is £205.

Licences are valid for three years. You can renew your licence three months before the expiry date.

What you need to apply

To apply for a scrap metal dealer licence you must be at least 18 years of age. You can apply using our online form below.

In the online form you need to upload copies of:

• a basic DBS check certificate or result of a subject access search of the Police National Computer (PNC) issued within three months of the date you apply for your licence
• proof of identity (valid passport, photocard driving licence or birth certificate)

You need to provide these for:

• yourself
• any business partners
• any company directors, shadow directors and secretaries of the company
• any site managers (if you're applying for a site licence)

You also need to upload copies of:

• MOT test and motor insurance certificates for all vehicles used in the business
• a site plan and evidence of planning approval for each site (if you're applying for a site licence)

Please ensure your supporting documents are scans or clear photos. If they aren't clear your application may be rejected.

If you're not able to upload copies of your documents you'll need to post them to us after sending your online form. You can send these to:

Licensing,
Regulatory Services,
PO Box 634,
Barnsley,
S70 9GG

We'll return them to you once we've dealt with your application.

How to apply

You can apply for or renew a site or collector's licence using our online form below.

In the form we'll ask for your own details and those of the scrap metal business. We'll also ask for details of any business partners, company directors, shadow directors, secretaries of the company, and site managers (if you're applying for a site licence). You'll need to tell us if you or any of those named have been convicted of any relevant offence or been subject to any enforcement action.

You'll also need to confirm your tax details by either:

• confirming you're aware of your tax registration duty (Pay As You Earn, Self Assessment and/or Corporation Tax duty). Do this if you're applying for a scrap metal dealer licence for the first time, or you've previously held a licence but this ceased to be valid over a year ago.
• providing a tax check code generated from the GOV.UK website. Do this if you've previously held a scrap metal dealer licence that ceased to be valid less than a year ago. You can also provide a tax check code if you already hold a site or collector's licence with another licensing authority.

We'll also ask for details of the bank accounts that will be used to pay people for the scrap metal you receive or sell. This is to check you're not selling the metal for cash, as this is illegal.