The NSW Police Force regulates the scrap metal industry via the Scrap Metal Industry Act 2016 (the Act) and the Scrap Metal Industry Regulation 2024 (the Regulation).

Scrap metal dealers must not carry on a business of dealing in scrap metal without the business being registered under the Act.  Heavy penalties apply for breaching the legislation.

The NSW Police Force’s Security Licensing & Enforcement Directorate (SLED) grants or refuses registration after conducting criminal record and other checks. Registration costs $260 and must be paid every three years to keep the registration current.

The details of each NSW registered scrap metal business are maintained and published by SLED below.

The Act and Regulation sets out how scrap metal businesses and scrap metal dealers must operate. For example, scrap metal dealers:

  • are prohibited from paying for scrap metal, and advertising that the dealer will pay for scrap metal, with cash, cheque payable to cash or in kind with goods or services,
  • are prohibited from buying a motor vehicle as scrap metal, including the body, engine or chassis of a motor vehicle, if it doesn’t display its identifier details (e.g. VIN, chassis or engine number),
  • must keep and maintain a record of each transaction when buying scrap metal, including the details of the person selling the scrap metal, and must report any suspicious transaction to the NSW Police Force.

NSW Police officers enforce the scrap metal legislation and conduct inspections and audits of businesses to ensure scrap metal dealers are complying with the legislation.

You can find more information about the NSW scrap metal industry legislation and obligations of scrap metal dealers in the fact sheets below.

Applicants and scrap metal dealers should familiarise themselves with the Act and Regulation, which are available on the NSW Legislation website.

Legislative amendments commence 1 September 2024

Significant amendments to the Act and Regulation commenced on 1 September 2024. You can find all the details here in this fact sheet. These amendments apply to all existing and new scrap metal businesses and scrap metal dealers.

As part of the amendments, scrap metal dealers must give to SLED additional registration information about the scrap metal business by 1 December 2024. This requirement applies to each scrap metal business registered when the amendments commenced.

If a scrap metal dealer fails to give the additional registration information to SLED by 1 December 2024, the registration of the business may be suspended.

SLED will contact each scrap metal business in early September to provide details on how to provide the additional registration information.

Further information:

Application Forms

Please note: the Scrap Metal industry forms are currently unavailable. They will be replaced with new versions in the coming days.

Scrap Metal Industry Fact Sheets

Fact Sheets

Scrap Metal Industry Public Register

The Scrap Metal Industry Public Register is current as at a point in time and not real-time.

The date and time the information is current at is displayed at the top of the register.

If you would like to confirm the registration status of a scrap metal business that does not appear on the register, please telephone the SLED Contact Centre on 1300 362 001 (Monday to Friday, 8.30am-3.30pm).

Public Register of Scrap Metal Dealers (PDF)

Sample Transaction Record

A scrap metal dealer must keep transaction records in the form and manner approved by the Commissioner of Police for a period of three years.

The transaction records must be kept at a premises at which the dealer carries on a scrap metal business. A scrap metal dealer who carries on a scrap metal business only from a motor vehicle must keep the transaction records in the motor vehicle.

The records can be in either electronic or hard copy format providing all the required information is recorded.

The below "Sample Transaction Record", which contains the minimum information required by the legislation to be recorded for each transaction, may be used by scrap metal dealers.

Sample Transaction Record (MS Word)