Motor Salvage Operators

Any person who wishes to operate a business dealing in motor salvage must be registered with the local authority. A motor salvage operator is defined as a person who carries on a business which consists: (a) wholly or partly in the recovery for re-use or sale of salvageable parts from motor vehicles and the subsequent sale or other disposal for scrap of the remainder of the vehicles concerned; (b) wholly or mainly in the purchase of written-off vehicles and their subsequent repair and re-sale; (c) wholly or mainly in the sale or purchase of motor vehicles which are to be the subject of any of the activities in (a) or (b) above; or (d) wholly or mainly in activities falling within (b) and (c) above. It is an offence to operate a motor salvage business which has not been registered.

Eligibility Criteria

You will be deemed to be operating a motor salvage business if:

you have premises in our area which are used as a motor salvage yard (i.e. premises where you receive or keep vehicles),
you do not occupy premises in our area (or elsewhere) as a motor salvage yard but your usual place of residence is in our area, or
you do not occupy premises in our area (or elsewhere) as a motor salvage yard but your premises are used wholly or partly for the purpose of any activities which fall within the definition of a motor salvage operator.

When deciding to register a business, the Authority may take into account any unspent convictions including:

(a) theft or attempted theft of or from a motor vehicle under s.1 of the Theft Act 1968;

(b) taking a motor vehicle without consent under s.12 of the Theft Act 1968;

(d) handling stolen goods under s.22 of the Theft Act 1968;

(e) going equipped to steal or take a motor vehicle under s.25 of the Theft Act 1968;

(f) interference with a motor vehicle contrary to s.9 of the Criminal Attempts Act 1981;

(g) tampering with a motor vehicle contrary to s.25 of the Road Traffic Act 1988;

(h) convictions for offences under Part 1 of the Vehicle Crimes Act 2001.

It is an offence to make a false statement in connection with an application.

Target completion period: we will aim to issue your certificate of registration within 4 working days of determining your application.

Regulation Summary

A summary of the relevant regulation for this registration.

Application Evaluation Process

We will need to know if you are operating as a sole trader, a partnership or a body corporate (e.g. a limited company).

We have a legal duty under the Vehicle (Crime) Act 2001 to consult the police about your application.

An application fee of £110.00 is payable.

Registrations last for three years. Once registered, you must notify us of any changes to the status of your business.

Will Tacit Consent Apply?

No. It is in the public interest that the authority must process your application before it can be granted. If you have not heard from us within a reasonable period, please contact us. You can do this online below if you applied through the UK Welcomes service or use the contact details provided.

Apply Online

You may Apply Online by clicking on Apply Online Here or via the Related Links to the right of this page.

Applicant Appeal

Please contact us in the first instance.

Licence Holder Appeal

Please contact us in the first instance.

Customer Complaint

If you have a complaint about a motor salvage operator, please try to resolve this direct with the operator in the first instance. If you are unable to resolve the situation, please put your complaint in writing to the Licensing Team.