Q: Where can I find a copy of this law?
A: https://www.revisor.mn.gov/laws/2023/0/Session+Law/Chapter/15/
Q: Who is considered a “scrap metal dealer"?
A: "Scrap metal dealer" or "dealer" means a person engaged in the business of buying or selling scrap metal, or both. The terms include a scrap metal processor, as described in Minn. Stat. § 168.27, subd. 3a. The terms do not include a person engaged exclusively in the business of buying or selling new or used motor vehicles, paper or wood products, rags or furniture, or secondhand machinery.
Q: What is considered valid “proof of identification"?
A: "Proof of identification" means a driver's license, Minnesota identification card number, or other identification document issued for identification purposes by any state, federal, or foreign government if the document includes the person's photograph, full name, birth date, and signature.
Q: What about catalytic converter purchases or acquisitions from bona fide businesses?
A: A bona fide business engaged in vehicle dismantling, vehicle demolishing, scrap metal recycling, or automotive repair services may remove a converter as part of auto repair work or auto recycling without a copy of the vehicle's title or registration, if the business provides all of the following:
- The identity of the seller's business and a written or electronic signature of the seller;
- An itemized list of each detached catalytic converter being sold that includes the donor vehicle identification number or a unique alternative number that can be readily linked to the vehicle identification number by law enforcement; and
- The date of the removal of each catalytic converter.
Q: When can payments be made to bona fide businesses?
A: A scrap metal dealer may pay a bona fide business engaged in vehicle dismantling, vehicle demolishing, scrap metal recycling, or automotive repair services at any time for a direct sale of a catalytic converter by the bona fide business to the scrap metal dealer. Payment must be made by check payable to the seller or deposited electronically in a bank account in the seller's name.
Q: What about old vehicles that do not have titles?
A: A scrap metal dealer may purchase or acquire a catalytic converter from a person possessing an old vehicle that is no longer registered and titled without a copy of the registration or title, if the person has an official law enforcement report stating that the agency has verified the person's ownership prior to the removal of the converter from the vehicle.
