North Dakota Scrap Laws in Effect

NORTH DAKOTA SCRAP LAWS

North Dakota has become the 49th state to implement laws that regulate the sale of scrap metal.

The law would require dealers to keep a record of transactions for items over $25, include a description of the material and a photocopy of the sellers ID and not allow cash for sales of more than $1,000.

States across the map have been adopting these regulations to discourage the recent slew of scrap metal theft and fraud.

With ScrapRight Software you will not have to manually manage this process, or even wonder if the process has been completed at all.  In fact ScrapRight Software gives you so much control that you can ensure that your employee either cannot pay out a transaction that is not compliant with the new law, or at a minimum you can run a report on demand that will tell you if there have been any tickets paid out that were not compliant, by who and for what compliance rule. With ScrapRight Software you can “Be Confident in Scrap Metal Recycling Compliance”  Knowing that you have fulfilled everything required of you.

BISMARCK, ND – Starting May 1st 2013, sales of scrap metal in North Dakota will be regulated. The new laws provide law enforcement with additional tools to investigate reports of stolen industrial, construction and building materials, such as metal pipe and copper wire, and provides protections for scrap metal dealers. “As the price of certain metals has surged, we have seen a dramatic increase in both the number of thefts and the value of the stolen items. Thieves are now targeting industrial and commercial sites, stealing hundreds, sometimes thousands, of pounds of materials to sell as scrap metal,” said Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem. The regulations come on the heels of a string of thefts involving thousands of pounds of metal, including multiple thefts in Fargo and Grand Forks, a theft in February of $40,000 worth of copper wire in Williston, and theft of 26,000 pounds of copper worth over $100,000 stolen from businesses in the Fargo area earlier this month. Three individuals have been arrested in connection with the Fargo thefts. Due to the prevalence of scrap metal thefts in North Dakota, the Attorney General recommended the new legislature to the current session of the legislature, which responded quickly, adding an emergency clause to the bill so it would take effect on May 1, rather than August 1 when most new laws take effect.

Beginning May 1, 2013, scrap metal dealers will be required to keep a record of any transaction involving more than $25 of scrap metal, including a copy of the seller’s government issued photo identification card, and details of the type and amount of scrap metal involved and payment information. For transactions involving more than $1,000 worth of scrap metal, a dealer cannot make cash payments. The dealer’s premises, inventory and transaction records are open to inspection by law enforcement. North Dakota is the forty-ninth state to impose regulations on scrap metal transactions. The new regulations do not apply to wrecked cars, beer kegs, or food and beverage containers. Failure to comply with the law is a criminal offense.

Additional information about the new requirements is available from the Attorney General’s website at www.ag.nd.gov.