Code of Virginia
§ 59.1-117. Permit required for trading in secondhand building fixtures. Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, no person shall offer for sale or acquire any secondhand heating or plumbing fixtures or supplies, electric fixtures or any wiring, gas fixtures or appliances, water faucets, pipes, locks, bathtubs, gutters, downspouts, or other secondhand fixtures of whatever kind or description pertaining to a building or structure, without first obtaining a permit for the sale or acquisition of the same from the chief of police of the city or town or the sheriff of the county in which such property is offered for sale or acquisition.
Exemptions
The following are exempted from this Code Section: 1. The sale of secondhand material mentioned in § 59.1-117 taken from premises occupied by the owner, when sold by such owner on the premises, or the sale of such articles when purchased from a public utility corporation at its place of business or a governmental agency (however the individual acquiring secondhand building materials is required to obtain a permit unless otherwise exempt); 2. Scrap metal purchaser as provided in Article 4 (§ 59.1-136.1 et seq.); 3. Authorized scrap sellers; 4. Public utilities; 5. Public transportation companies; 6. Peddlers permitted under § 59.1-118; 7. Industrial and manufacturing companies; 8. Marine, automobile, and aircraft salvage and wrecking companies; or 9. Governmental entities.
Instructions
Complete the information below before conducting the sale or acquisition of secondhand building fixtures. Once completed and submitted, print the permit and keep it with you at all times when selling, acquiring and transporting the materials covered by it. Permits that are incomplete or do not contain the required information are considered invalid.
For this permit to be valid, it must be complete, and a specific description of the secondhand building fixtures that are the subject of this transaction to include type of material, quantity, etc. is required. For example: (4) three-foot sections of bare 1/2″ copper pipe; 100 feet of insulated 12 gauge copper wire; (10) eight-foot sections of aluminum gutters. General descriptions such as “scrap copper” or “junk” are not acceptable and will render this permit invalid. Items like electric refrigerators and washing machines, metal furniture and old lawn mowers are not secondhand building materials.
Print this permit and keep it with you at all times when acquiring, transporting and selling the materials covered by it.
This permit is required under 59.1-117 Code of Virginia. Failure to comply with this Code section is a Class 1 Misdemeanor, punishable by up to 1 year in jail and up to a $1,500 fine.