Selling a catalytic converter in Nevada

Who may sell a detached converter

The list is closed. A scrap metal processor shall not purchase or otherwise receive a used catalytic converter for any purpose, including to dismantle, recycle, or smelt, unless it comes from an automobile wrecker licensed under § 487.070, a scrap metal processor licensed under § 647.092 who maintains a fixed place of business and obtained the unit in accordance with §§ 647.094 and 647.098, a motor vehicle manufacturer, distributor, dealer, or rebuilder licensed under § 482.325, any other business that may reasonably generate, possess, or sell used catalytic converters, or a person with documentation proving lawful ownership or possession (§ 647.093(1) to (5)).

That last route is the private one, and it is specific. The documentation may be a certificate of title or registration identifying the person as the legal or registered owner of the vehicle from which the converter was removed, carrying a vehicle identification number that matches the number permanently marked on the converter (§ 647.093(5)). A used catalytic converter means a converter or any part of one previously installed on a vehicle and since removed, and it does not include a reconditioned or refurbished converter sold at retail (§ 647.0185).

The buyer needs credentials of its own. No person may purchase scrap metal unless the person holds both a valid state business license issued under chapter 76 and a valid city or county business license for the place of purchase, and has obtained all required authorizations from, or is registered with, the solid waste management authority for that area (§ 647.092). A scrap metal processor is anyone engaged in the business of purchasing, trading, bartering, or otherwise receiving scrap metal, used utility wire, or used catalytic converters (§ 647.0172(1)). Charitable organizations recognized under the Internal Revenue Code are exempt from the chapter entirely (§ 647.0192).

What the buyer must record

Converters get their own record section. At the time of each purchase the processor enters the place and date; the seller's name and valid driver license number or identification card number with the state of issue; a general description of the vehicle in which the converter arrived, including its state of registration; a description of the converter including item type, quantity, and vehicle identification number; and a description of the vehicle the converter came off, meaning its year, make, model, and vehicle identification number, plus a copy of the title where one applies whose number matches the marking on the converter (§ 647.0943(1)(a) to (e)).

Two more entries close the loop on ownership and money. The seller writes a statement saying either that the seller is the lawful owner or possessor of the converter, or naming the person the seller got it from, including the business name shown on a signed transfer document (§ 647.0943(1)(f)). The processor records the price paid (§ 647.0943(1)(g)), and where the seller is a business entity other than a processor, the seller's physical business address, business telephone number, and business license or tax identification number (§ 647.0943(1)(h)). Records under the section are kept for not less than two years and, along with the converters themselves, made available to a local law enforcement agency on demand (§ 647.0943(4), (5)).

Two lighter records exist for the ends of the chain: a purchase under a written agreement with another business that sells converters for recycling, and a sale from one processor to another (§ 647.0943(2), (3)). Separately, where a local law enforcement agency runs an electronic reporting system, each processor in that jurisdiction submits the preceding day's individual-capacity converter purchases before noon each business day, including the seller's ownership statement, the title copy where applicable, the donor vehicle's year, make, model, and vehicle identification number, and a description of the unit (§ 647.0945(2)(c)). That reporting duty does not reach purchases from a business entity, except as § 647.0945(2)(c) otherwise provides for converters (§ 647.0945(6)).

How you are paid

Cash is off the table for converters. A scrap metal processor shall not provide payment for a used catalytic converter unless the payment is made by check or through an electronic transfer of money cleared through an automated clearinghouse, the seller is one of the persons described in § 647.093, and the processor obtains the further items listed below (§ 647.099(1)(a) to (c)). The general scrap rule is looser, requiring check or electronic transfer only at one hundred fifty dollars or more and barring more than one cash transaction under that figure with the same seller on the same day (§ 647.098(1)).

The payment condition is also an evidence condition. Before paying, the processor obtains a clear photograph or video of the seller at the time of the sale, of the converter being sold, and of the vehicle identification number permanently marked on it where there is one; a copy of the seller's valid driver license or a state or federal government-issued identification card showing the seller's photograph and address; and the seller's written ownership statement (§ 647.099(1)(c)(1) to (3)). All of that has to exist before the check is written.

Nevada sets no standing waiting period on the converter and no delay on the money. The only hold in the chapter is triggered by an officer: a peace officer or investigator involved in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity may place a written hold of not more than seven business days on property in a processor's possession, extendable by another seven business days on written notice, during which the processor may not remove or dispose of the property to anyone but that officer (§ 647.096(1), (2)). Purchases made under a written agreement that keeps a running log of converters received and describes each one particularly enough to be matched to inventory are outside the § 647.099(1) payment rules altogether (§ 647.099(2)).

Penalties

The chapter's own penalty starts at misdemeanor and climbs into felony territory for converters. Unless a greater penalty is provided by specific statute, a person who violates any provision of §§ 647.093 to 647.0944 or §§ 647.096 to 647.101 is guilty of a misdemeanor, and the court may enjoin the person from operating as a scrap metal processor for not less than thirty days on a first or second offense and for one year on a third or subsequent offense (§ 647.143(1), (2)). A processor who is a natural person and knowingly violates § 647.093, or who sells a converter the processor knows or should know is stolen, commits a category E felony for one converter, a category D felony for two to nine, and a category C felony for ten or more (§ 647.143(3)).

The criminal code repeats the rule for everyone else. Possession of two or more used converters is an offense unless the possessor fits the same list of wreckers, licensed processors, vehicle dealers, other businesses that may reasonably generate converters, or documented vehicle owners (§ 205.27415(2)); taking or attempting to take a converter with intent to deprive the owner is theft of a catalytic converter (§ 205.27415(1)); and purchasing outside that list is unlawful purchase (§ 205.27417(1)). The grading matches the chapter 647 ladder: category E felony for one converter, category D for two to nine, category C for ten or more (§ 205.27419).

Two other exposures sit nearby. Buying junk or scrap metal that the buyer knows or should reasonably know belongs to a utility, railroad, or political subdivision, without using ordinary care to check the seller's right to sell, is criminal receipt and a category D felony (§ 647.145). And information about scrap metal purchases held under §§ 647.094 and 647.0945 has to be kept confidential, with a knowing and willful breach a gross misdemeanor (§ 647.0947).

What this means when you sell to us

Bring a government photo ID showing your address, and bring the title or registration for the vehicle the converter came off, with a vehicle identification number that matches the number marked on the unit, because Nevada makes that match part of what we record (§ 647.0943(1)(e), § 647.099(1)(c)(2)). Businesses also give us a business address, telephone number, and business license or tax number (§ 647.0943(1)(h)). You write and sign a short statement that the converter is yours or naming who you got it from (§ 647.0943(1)(f)). We photograph you, the unit, and its marked number, then pay by check or bank transfer, which is all Nevada allows for a converter (§ 647.099(1)).